It seemed as though I had barely closed my eyes when he aroused me. “It’s broad daylight, sir, an’ our boats are comin’ back to us,” he explained.
I sprang up and followed him back to the deck. The storm had broken, the sun was at least two hours high, and there, between us and the town and coming down toward us, were our two boats with their crews.
Silently Bill and I awaited their approach. I do not know what his thoughts were, but for myself I could not help wondering what would be Captain Weston’s greeting. I hoped the saving of the brig would appease his animosity, and we might now be friends. For the sake of peace I was ready to overlook his base attempt to leave me on the stranded brig. In this spirit I turned towards him, as he mounted the deck, and waited somewhat anxiously his first words.
“So the brig drifted over the reef after all,” he remarked not unpleasantly.
“We cut her loose at high tide, and sailed her over,” I answered, and in a few more words acquainted him with our experiences during the previous night.
“Lost her anchor, did you?” he commented when I had finished the tale, and I thought his tones were growing sharp and crusty.
“We thought it better to lose that than to lose the brig,” I responded as calmly as I could under the resentment which was welling up in my heart.
“Hump!” he ejaculated. Then he turned to Master Marshall, saying: “Send all hands to their quarters, sir, and give them their rations. Then call me,” and he stalked away to his cabin.
The moment he was out of sight the first mate grabbed my hand. Wringing it heartily, he said:
“You have done a big night’s work, Master Dunn. The whole city is talking about it. But tell me how you and Bill came to be left on the brig.”