"There ain't but four of us here," said another man. "I'm ready to launch her whenever Captain Raynor gives the word; but we ought to have another oar."
"Take me," said Charley. "I can pull an oar, and I've been drilled in landing through the surf. It's a part of the navy drill now."
"Are you in the navy, young fellow?" asked the Captain.
"Yes, sir," replied Charley.
"You shall come along if we launch the boat. It's no fool's play, though, you understand. Every man that gets into that boat takes his life in his hand."
"I shouldn't offer to go if I didn't think I could do my duty with the rest of you," replied Charley, "and I don't think my life is any more precious than yours. Tell me what oar to pull, and you'll find that I can obey orders."
"We'll be proud to have you along with us," exclaimed one of the men. "If the rest of the Annapolis boys are like you, they're a good lot."
While they were waiting for daylight, the little party sat down by the remains of the bonfire, and talked about the wrecked vessel.
"She's an Eyetalian, or something of that sort, by the looks of her," said the Captain. "Those fellows know about as much about navigation as a canal-boatman. Now I'll bet that fellow didn't know where he was within two hundred miles. Do you remember that Frenchman that came ashore down by Fire Island light three years ago, and thought he was steering all right for to enter Long Island Sound? So he was, if Long Island hadn't happened to be in the way. John, how many men are there in the rigging?—you've got the best eyes of any of us."
"I can count seven," answered the man.