m the boat were
utterly ignored, the acting chief engineer hauled himself along the rail
hand over hand to windward, ducking below the canvas guard as a more
than usually big comber split against the Puncher's side and hove itself
to heaven.

"It beats me how any man can keep a coat on him this weather," he
remarked, and the sublieutenant noticed that the streams that ran down
both his temples were not sea water. "Send for me?"

His temper, judging by his voice, would seem to be a lot worse than
could be due to the pitching of the ship.

"Yes. There's a pilot overside, and our orders are to take a pilot
aboard when running in, if available. There are three men bailing that
boat below there, and the sea's gaining on them. They'll need rescuing
within two hours. Then we'd have a pilot aboard and would have saved the
government ten pounds. Point is, can you manage in the engine-room for
two or three hours longer? Three more waves like that last one and the
man's ours anyway!"

"He might not wait two hours," suggested Mr. Hartley. "He might get
tired of looking at us, and beat back into port. Then where would be
your strategy?"

"Then there wouldn't be a pilot available. I'd be justified in going in
without one. Point is, can you hold out below?"

"Man," said Mr. Hartley, "you're a genius." He peered through the spray
down to leeward, where the pilot's boat danced a death dance alongside,
heel and toe to the Puncher's statelier swing. "Yes; there are three men
bailing, and you're a genius. But no! The answer's no! The engines'll
keep on turning, maybe and perhaps, until we make the shelter o' yon
reef. There's no knowing what a cherry-red bearing will do. I can give
ye maybe fifteen knots; maybe a leetle more for just five minutes, for
steerage way and luck, and after that--"

Even crouched as he was against the canvas guard he contrived to shrug
his shoulders.

"But if we go in there are you sure you can contrive to patch her up? It
looks like a rotten passage, and not much of a berth beyond it."

"I could cool her down."

"Oh, if that's all you want, I can anchor outside in thirty fathoms."

Curley Crothers heard that and his whole frame stiffened; there seemed
a chance yet that the Navy might not be disgraced. But it faded on the
instant.

"Man, we've got to go inside and we've got to hurry! Better in there
than at the bottom of the Gulf! Put her where she'll hold still for a
day, or maybe two days--"