“She is an English ship, by the cut of her sails!” he exclaimed. “Charley, my boy, we are saved. I don’t think I could have held out many hours longer, and you would not have been far after me.”
The stranger approached. It was evident, from the way she was steering, that they were seen; still Dick could not help shouting out as loud as his weak voice would allow. The stranger hove-to, and a boat was lowered.
“I hope they are not pirates,” said Charley, “like the others.”
“I hope not; but if they are we shall soon find out, and we can but ask them to put us ashore again; for depend on it they will know the whereabouts of our island.”
This was said while the boat was approaching.
“What strange craft is that?” said the officer in command of the boat, examining Dick’s wonderful specimen of naval architecture.
Dick explained that he and the boy had been out fishing, and been blown off the island, of which they had been the sole occupants for some years.
“We will hear more about it when we get you on board,” said the officer, a fine-looking young man, in a kind voice, observing Dick’s exhausted condition.
With the assistance of the crew Dick was lifted into the boat, for he had scarcely strength remaining to move, though Charley scrambled on board by himself. Dick heard from one of the crew, as the boat pulled towards the ship, that she was the Dolphin, Captain Podgers, bound round Cape Horn.
“We’ve two petticoats aboard—the skipper’s wife and daughter, so your youngster won’t want for nurses to look after him,” said the man who told Dick this. “To my mind, however, he’ll be best off with the young lady, for t’other’s a curious one, and it will depend what humour she’s in how she will treat him.”