whistle going, and when they hear the echoes from the rocks too
plainly they make outward to the open sea.

The _Nora_ crawled down the coast of Afognak Island in the fog and the
dark, but finally cast her anchor as near as could be told off the
entrance to the narrow channel of Kadiak Harbor. Here she sounded her
whistle for more than an hour at short intervals, waiting for a pilot to
come out. At last, soon after those on board had finished breakfast,
they heard the sound of oars out in the fog and a rough voice calling
through a megaphone: "Steamer ahoy! What boat is that?"

"_Nora_, from Valdez," answered Captain Zim. "Are you the pilot?"

"Ay, ay!" came the voice through the fog.

"Come on board--this way!" called Captain Zim; and once more the hoarse
whistle of the steamer boomed out into the fog.

Needless to say, the three boys now were on deck, and they leaned over
the rail as there appeared at the foot of the rope-ladder a big dory
with two native oarsmen, and a stout, grizzled man, whom the ship's
company announced to be Pete Piamon, the pilot for that coast.

"How are you, Pete?" said Captain Zim. "Can we take her in? I'm late and
in an awful hurry."

Pete grinned. "All the time you ban in awful hurry, Captain Zim. Dis fog
awful tick. Yas, we shall take her in if you say so--and maybe so pile
her up on de rock. You don' min' dat, eh?"

"Where's the revenue-cutter _Bennington_ lying, Pete?" asked Uncle Dick.

"Inside, beyond de town." Pete jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

"I'll tell you what I'll do, captain," said Uncle Dick. "I'm in a big
hurry to report to my commanding officer on the _Bennington_, for he's
no doubt been lying here two or three days waiting for us. You keep
Pete here, and let me and the boys take his dory and pull in--they'll
take us through the tide-rips all right, if it gets bad. I won't ask you
to put down one of the ship's boats."

Pete looked at Captain Zim, who answered: "Oh, all right, if you're in
such a hurry; though you might wait and let us all go in together. How
are you going to get all of your hand luggage and all four of you into
that dory, though?"

"You couldn't spare us a ship's boat?"

"Sure I can," answered obliging Captain Zim. "I'll tell you--put the
boys in the dory, and I'll send you and the luggage over in the
long-boat."

"Get down there, boys," commented Uncle Dick, briefly, pointing to the
rope-ladder. "Are you afraid to go down the ladder?"