They plodded slowly on until Captain Jordan hailed them from the schooner.
“Stand by to cast that hawser off,” he directed.
“Aye, aye!” replied Jack. “Rod, lay hold of that line, and be ready to slack away.”
“Let go!” shouted Captain Jordan at last.
The hawser fell with a splash into the water, and Jack brought the sloop round into the wind, leaving the Grace and Ella with enough way on to sidle to her berth.
An angry face appeared at the edge of the wharf.
“What d’ye mean by meddling in my affairs?” demanded Mr. Barker, scowling down on the boys.
“Meddling?” said Jack unruffled. “I was giving her a little tow. Doesn’t she look as though she needed it? It was quite a salvage job.”
“Salvage!” Mr. Barker’s surprise and consternation were ludicrous. “You get no salvage out o’ me, young man! No one asked you to interfere. What do you suppose I sent my tug out for?”
“Tug didn’t come in time,” put in Captain Jordan. “I had to engage the sloop to make sure.”