. 'Are ye scared at last?' I
demanded of him.

"'I am seasick,' he chokes back. And he was, be Hivins!

"So we joggled and bobbled about and I wondhered how many times we had
crossed the bar from ind to ind, whin suddenly it smoothed down and I
saw a red light through the little windey. Me assistant saw it too.
'That's the range light off the jetty,' says he. 'We're inside.'

"I shoved open the door to the deck and looked out. The fog lay about us
thick and the wind was risin'; I cud barely make out the lights ahead. I
stuck me head out and glanced astern. 'Way back of us, like a match
behind a curtain, I saw a little light bobbing up and down in the fog. I
took me crew be the ear and thrust his head out beside mine. 'What is
that?' I demanded.

"'Tis the other launch,' he says. 'I guess they folleyed us in.'

"We ran up to the wharf and the gang made everything fast; and then me
bould Tad comes to me with a sheepish face. 'Wud ye mind tellin' the
ladies and childher that they can go ashore and get to the hotel?' he
says.

"So it was me that wint in and tould the ladies they were saved and
helped thim to the wharf and saw thim started for the hotel. Thin I came
back to the launch, but there was nobody there. Me bould gang had
disappeared. Just thin the other launch came up, limpin' on one leg,
covered with drippin' men and blasphemy. They didn't wait for the lines
to be put out, but jumped for the float like rats out of biscuit barrels
and swarmed for the hotel. Whiles I was watchin' thim the skipper of the
_Gladys_ pulls himself out of his wrecked pilot house and approaches me
with heavy footfalls. 'I'm toold that 'twas bhoys that manned this
launch,' he remar-rks. 'If it is so, I wudn't have come in and nearly
lost me ship.'

"'If it hadn't been for the bhoys ye'd now be driftin' into the breakers
off yer favorite fishin' spot,' I retor-rts. 'Nixt time ye try suicide
leave the women and childher ashore.' And with the words out of me mouth
the gale broke upon us like the blow of a fish.

"We took shelter behind a warehouse and the skipper of the 'Gladys' said
in me ear: 'I suppose the owner of the launch had to get what crew he
cud. Where is he? I'd like to thank him.'

"'If ye will come with me to the hotel ye shall see the man ye owe life
to,' I infor-rmed him.

"As we intered the hotel a tall man, with the mar-rk of aut'ority on
him, observed me unifor-rm and addressed me: 'What do you know about
this?'