"Water, in the name of Heaven!" I panted. "You cowards! Why did you leave us?"
"Hunted for you, sir, all night," said Jones, getting at the water breaker and measuring out a full quart. I held it to the lips of the girl, and she revived enough to drink part of it. I drank the rest, and drew another measure, drinking it off in a gulp.
"Grub," I said, without further ado; and, while they shoved clear of the raft, I took a share of the ship's biscuit, eating ravenously.
"Sit up and chew a bit of bread," I said to Miss Alice.
She raised herself with an effort, and soon recovered sufficiently to eat something. Then she nestled close to me, let her head fall again upon my shoulder, and went to sleep like a tired child.
We were heading almost due west for the coast now, and could not be very far away from coastwise traffic. I felt that the end would soon come, and that we would be picked up.
Before midnight a light showed ahead. It was a steamer's headlight, and I soon made out her green light, showing she was heading north, inside of us. We would pass very close.
"Give way strong; give way together. Let's get out of this," I said; and the men set to the oars.
The light grew brighter, the green still showing. Soon the black form of the ship's hull showed through the gloom, her masthead light now looming high in the air, and her side light close aboard. We were drawing in, and I stood up and bawled out for help. The black bulk of her hull towered over us, and for an instant it seemed that she would run us down.
"Hold—back water—hold hard!" I yelled, and the men obeyed.