“More luck, boys. Mrs. Lester!”
As the poor captain was carried off the bridge into the little cabin, the Dolphin went ahead, and in a quarter of an hour, Bailey and his men had cut away the masts and the tug had the ship in tow.
At daylight next morning Lester brought her into the little bay where the Braybrook Castle lay, and Bailey anchored her safely.
When Lester boarded her he found she was the Harvest Queen, sister ship to the Harvest Maid, Harvester, and his own last command, the Harvest Home, all ships of 1,500 tons, and belonging to Captain James Rodway.
“Why didn't you cut away her masts?” he said to the unfortunate captain later on.
“Ah, you don't know my owner,” the old man replied, “and besides that, I could have righted the ship if my crew had stuck to me. But after being eighteen hours on our beam ends, they took fright and lowered the boats. I'm a ruined man.”
“Not at all. You have done your duty and I'll give you command of another ship to-day—the Braybrook Castle. You have nothing further to do with the Harvest Queen. She was an abandoned ship. She's mine now. Salvage, you know.”
The old man nodded his head. “Yes, I know that. And you'll make a pot oat of her.”
“What is she worth?”
“Ship and cargo are worth £80,000. We loaded a general cargo in London.”