"Ahoy there!" it rang.
And Clif roared back with all his might!
"Ahoy! What ship is that?"
And his heart gave a throb of joy when he heard:
"The United States cruiser Nashville. Who are you?"
"The Spanish merchantman Maria, in charge of a prize crew from the Uncas!"
Whether all that was heard in the roar of the storm Clif could not tell; but he put all the power of his lungs in it.
He knew that the story would be investigated.
And so he was quite prepared when he heard the response:
"Lay to and wait for a boarding party."