"Now, lads, tumble out and lend a hand," the captain said. "I see you have got some cocoa here. Well, all who have had a mug come out at once, and let the others get aft as soon as they have had their share. The ladies are all right, I hope?"
"Quite right, captain," one of the men answered, "and begin to feel warm already; which is natural enough, for this cabin is like an oven after the deck of the _Petrel_."
"Now, skipper, do you give the orders," the captain said as Ben took the tiller.
"Run up the foresail and haul in the starboard-sheet. That will bring her head round."
"Now let go the cable and hawser." There was a sharp rattle of chains, and the cry "All free!"
"Slack off that weather-sheet and haul down on the lee-sheet," was Tripper's next order. "Not too much. Have you got the jib hooked on to the traveller? Out with it, then. Now, up with her. Now man the throat and peak halliards. Up with her. Slack out the main-sheet well, and boom the sail out with an oar. Trice the main-tack up as far as it will go."
The _Bessy_ was now running almost before the wind. Every moment the great waves loomed up high behind her stern, and looked as if they would dash down upon her deck, but she slipped easily away. The clouds had broken up much now, but the wind had in no way abated. A gleam or two of sunlight made its way through the rifts of the clouds, and threw light green patches upon the gray and angry sea.
"She is a splendid sea-boat this of yours," the captain said. "I would hardly have believed such a small craft would have made such good weather in such a sea."
"There are few boats will beat a bawley," Ben said. "Well handled, they will live through pretty near anything."
"I can quite believe that. Which of you was it who sprang overboard to get our line?"
"It was not either of us," Ben said. "Neither Tom nor I can swim a stroke. It was my nephew Jack--that lad who has just come out of the fo'castle."
"It was a gallant action," the captain said. "I should have thought it well-nigh impossible to swim in such broken water. I was astonished when I saw him leap overboard."
"He saw that the spar had drifted with the tide to windward of you and there was no other way of getting at it."