It was a pretty bit of old-fashioned boarding for the prosaic
twentieth century
"You're blockin' my way, you google-eyed thief. Bing! there's one on the cocoanut," he panted with a cheerful grin as he smote a stalwart wrecker and sent him spinning.
"We're a-coming, Dan. Keep your reserved seat," he bellowed to the bridge as he wiped the sweat from his eyes. "Black Sam's" men could not withstand the determined and disciplined onslaught and began to leap overboard, plop! plop! into the green sea over which the boats from their schooners were racing to pick them up. Only their leader stayed behind, sullenly nursing his wounded arm. Captain Jim halted long enough to tell him:
"My men will take you aboard the tug and patch you up from my medicine chest. Then you'd better make sail for home. The Reef isn't healthy for your breed of Nassau wreckers. Better pass the word among your friends."
Then Captain Jim ran to the bridge, but Bill McKnight was already hugging Dan and fairly blubbering over him. The boy was too weak to struggle out of this crushing embrace, but he waggled a free hand to Captain Jim and stammered:
"W-wow, ouch. Glad to see you aboard."
"Glad to see us aboard, you rascal," laughed his uncle as he yanked the engineer away and thumped Dan on the back. "Well, we're tickled to death to see you aboard. How in the—, of all the— Whew, what are you doing here anyhow, Dan?"
His nephew made a brave attempt to answer him. Now was the time to play the hero, to tell how he had stuck to the ship and saved her. But Dan Frazier was no hero. He was just a stout-hearted lad who had weathered one cruel ordeal after another with the Almighty's aid, and he had hung on to himself as long as he could. Now there was no more call for courage. He was safe and the ship had been restored to Uncle Jim. Tears streamed down Dan's face and he swayed against Bill McKnight who put a steadying arm around him.
"I—I'm just tired out, I—I guess," he sobbed. "Please take me home, Uncle Jim. I—I want my mother."
Bill McKnight coughed and wiped his eyes as he lifted Dan's feet clear of the deck, while Captain Jim lent his sturdy arms to the task of carrying the boy to the ship's side and lowering him into a boat. They got him aboard the Three Sisters without mishap, took off his tattered, grimy clothing, and tucked him in the captain's bunk.