"Signal we're coming to her assistance," said the girl, and the bos'n hoisted the flags, H.F. The reply came immediately, "Want a tow, no damage."
"Gawd, she must 'ave struck a feather piller instead o' a reef," commented the bos'n _sotto voce_, as he communicated the reply to Miss Fletcher.
Slowly the _Hawk_ bore down to leeward of the stranded vessel, signalling the _Satellite_ to send a boat with tow-lines, for it was far too perilous to come near enough for the lines to be thrown from one ship to the other. Thanks to Mr. Dykes's foresight in having thrown out oil-bags, the sea around the _Satellite_ had subsided considerably and a boat was lowered without much difficulty. But as soon as she got outside the oil radius the frail cockleshell of a boat was tossed about like a cork, and more than once it looked as if she must inevitably be swamped and capsized. But she fought her way manfully, and at last came within hailing distance of the _Hawk_.
"Stand off!" shouted the girl through a megaphone. "Heave from where you are."
The wisdom of this order was apparent to all, for, had the boat come much nearer or attempted to get alongside, she would almost certainly have been swept against the steamer and crushed to pieces. So while the crew kept her head-on to the sea, the man in the bows waited for a favourable opportunity. It came when the boat was carried upwards on the crest of a huge wave till on a level with the _Hawk's_ bridge; then he stood up, and, swinging one of the lines round his head, gave it a cast. The thin rope leapt through the air in a long, sinuous curve, and descended on the steamer's deck, where it was promptly caught and secured to the drum of a steam-winch. Then ensued another period of tense waiting before a chance came to send the other line aboard; but it was successfully accomplished at last, and the boat started on its return journey.
As soon as the second line had been secured the steam-winches were started and began to wind in the lines until the hawsers appeared under the _Hawk's_ stern, one on each side.
Then, with the assistance of the winches, the ends of the hawsers were carried through the hawse-holes and parcelled with chafing-mats to lessen the friction. The _Hawk_ was now astern of the _Satellite_, which was to be towed off the reef stern foremost, and the work would commence as soon as the hawsers had been made secure.