“Hard on your left! All right; you’re straight for the pier!”
It was a foolish thing for Dan to say, and Nelson closed his eyes again in an effort to puzzle out the meaning. And doing so he fell asleep once more, and didn’t wake again until an hour later to find himself snug and warm in a big white bed with a sound of crackling flames in his ears. A little bald-headed man was leaning over him holding out a spoon, and Nelson obediently opened his mouth. Some one said something about supper, and the word suggested many things to him, and he closed his eyes again and scowled his forehead and tried to think. Plainly he was no longer in danger of drowning, for people don’t drown in beds. They had rescued him and brought him ashore, and he was—where was he? He opened his eyes and moved his head. Things were dimly familiar and he was sure he knew the man by the hearth. And—yes, there was Bob.
“Hello, Bob,” he whispered. He had meant to say it right out loud just to let Bob know that all was well with him, and the result surprised and annoyed him. But Bob had heard, and he came over and put a hand on Nelson’s shoulder.
“How are you feeling, Nel?” he asked with affected cheerfulness. Nelson considered a moment. Then:
“Hungry,” he said. This time it wasn’t so much of a whisper and he was encouraged. “Where’s Dan?” he asked.
“In the next room. He’s—he’s all right, Nel,” was the answer. Then the little bald-headed man, whom Nelson didn’t know, came and took his hand.
“Don’t talk now, my boy. Try to go to sleep. When you wake up next time you shall have some supper.”
Nelson viewed him suspiciously, but the face was rather a nice face even if it did extend up to the back of the head, and so he closed his eyes and forgot everything very quickly.
Later he awoke again to find the room in darkness. But even as he opened his mouth to demand attention a match was scratched and the room became so bright that he had to blink his eyes. A nice-looking woman came and sat on the side of the bed and stirred a spoon around in a blue-and-white bowl.
“Are you awake?” she asked. “Here’s your supper. Don’t get up, but just turn your head this way and I’ll feed it to you. It’s beef tea. Do you like it?”