"Well on the lee bow, sir."
"Are we headed for her?"
"Ay, ay, sir! We shall go clear of her to windward."
"Wreck on the lee bow, sir," reported the second lieutenant to Terrill, who in turn reported to the captain.
"Clear away the first cutter, Mr. Terrill," said Paul.
"All the first cutters, ahoy!" shouted the boatswain's mate.
"Mr. Pelham will have charge of the boat," added Captain Kendall, who had great confidence in the zeal and ability of this officer.
"The wreck! The wreck!" shouted all hands, as the disabled galiot came into view.
On the rail of the vessel, whose starboard half was completely submerged in the water, were two men, making violent gestures, and shouting to the crew of the Josephine. Not a word they said could be understood, but it was easy enough for Yankees to guess the meaning of their words. The schooner was thrown up into the wind, the jib lowered, and she lay to under the mainsail. Pelham and the crew of the first cutter took their places in the boat, and were lowered into the stormy sea. The falls were cast off the instant she struck the water; the coxswain gave his orders rapidly, and the cutter went off, rising and falling on the huge waves like a feather.
The distance was short; but even this was a hard pull in such a violent sea. Pelham was cool and steady, and his self-possession encouraged the crew to their best efforts. The boat ran up under the lee of the wreck, and made fast to one of the masts. As soon as it was secured, both of the men on the rail began to jabber in an unintelligible language.