"He's got that engine turning up as fast as it will go," he commented. "He means to get that extra ten dollars, all right. Gee! but I've been using my nerve, spending money that belongs as much to the rest of you as it does to me."
"That's all right," approved Captain Westfield. "You are planning out this thing. Spend the last penny if you want to. I believe in letting one at a time run a thing. Others butting in only gum things up—a ship don't work well under more than one captain."
The light was still burning in the Roberts boys' cabin and a tap at the door brought forth an invitation to come in.
When the three stepped into the lighted room they were greeted with exclamations of amazed pleasure.
"It's good to see you all are safe again," cried the husky Bill, as he shook hands with a heartiness that made them wince. "We were mourning you as drowned. We did not believe your launch could have lasted out that gale."
"She didn't," Captain Westfield said. "She went to pieces on shore a good many miles down the coast."
"Tough luck," said the big fisherman, sympathetically. "You fellows do seem to hit it rough. It's too blamed bad, that's what it is."
"I believe our luck is due to change pretty soon," Charley said, with a smile. "How are things coming with you now?"
"Couldn't be much worse," Bill stated, briefly. "Goodness only knows what's become of all the fish. We haven't wet a net since the gale. What we lack of being stone-broke isn't much. We have only got about a hundred dollars in cash left but you are welcome to half of that. I guess you are worse off than we are."