declares that he never closed his eyes while he was at the
helm, and Jim also asserts that he was wide-awake during his entire
watch, though neither he nor Tom spoke, for fear of waking up the other
boys. It was strange that these two wide-awake young Moral Pirates did
not notice that a large steamboat--one of the Albany night boats--was in
sight, until she was within a mile of them, and it is just possible
that, without knowing it, they were a little too drowsy to keep a proper
look-out.

As soon as Tom saw the steamboat, he remarked, "Halloo! there's one of
the Albany boats," and steered the boat over toward the east shore. The
breeze had nearly died away, and the _Whitewing_ moved very slowly. The
steamboat came rapidly down the river, her paddles throbbing loudly in
the night air. Jim began to get a little uneasy, and said, "I hope she
won't run us down."

"Oh, there's no danger!" replied Tom; "we shall get out of her way easy
enough."

But, to his dismay, the steamboat, instead of keeping in the middle of
the river, presently turned toward the east shore, as if she were bent
upon running down the _Whitewing_. Tom was now really alarmed; and as he
saw that the sail was doing very little good, he hurriedly told Jim to
take down the mast and get out the oars as quick as possible. Jim
rapidly obeyed the order, dropping the mast on Harry's head, and
catching Joe by the nose in his search for the oars. By this time Tom
had begun to hail the steamboat at the top of his lungs; but no
attention was paid to him by the steamboat men, since the noise of the
paddles drowned Tom's voice. Harry and Joe, who were now wide-awake, saw
what danger they were in, and they sprang to the oars. The steamboat was
frightfully near, and still hugging the shore; but Tom called on the
boys to give way with their oars, and steered straight for the shore,
knowing that there must be room for the boat between the steamboat and
the bank of the river, and fearing that if he steered in the opposite
direction the steamboat might change her course and run them down, when
they would have little chance of escape by swimming.

It was certainly very doubtful if they could avoid the steamboat, and
Tom was well aware of it. He told the other boys that, if they were sure
to be run down, they must jump before the steamboat struck them, and
dive, so as to escape the paddles. "I'll tell you when to jump, if worst
comes to worst," said he; "but don't you look