d the yacht for a full minute. Dan
watched the distressed craft as she tossed up her bow and glided
sternward from his view behind a jet of black wave, while the
_Fledgling_ seemed to slide from under his feet in the opposite
direction. As the yacht came up again he could see that this mishap
had scattered all semblance of fortitude to the winds. Except for the
young second officer, Mr. Howland, and a sailor, all holding their
places pluckily on the bridge, terror reigned. Sailors, men in
yachting costumes, and women with hair flying flashed along the decks
or in and out of doorways, while forward a group of three young men
lashed to a big anchor held out their hands toward the tug.

Dan turned to his deck-hand, his face hard and determined.

"Pete," he said, "go down and get out the double cables. Welch is
astern and will help you. I'm going to swerve the tug in close and you
heave the lines aboard when we re near enough. We won't trust any more
to their rotten hemp."

As a knight, with reckless abandon, might have urged his steed into the
very midst of his foes, so Dan urged the _Fledgling_ up to the wildly
pitching yacht. Nearer the tug advanced, so near that the tugmen could
see the streaks through the red underbody. Nearer yet, head on, and
then the wheel was swung broad, while Dan leaned out of the
pilot-house, looking down at the two men forward, who were whirling
weighted heaving-lines about their heads like lariats. "Now, now
then!" yelled Dan, as the mate in response to a wave of his hand began
to sheer off from the yacht. "Aye, aye," came the replies from below,
and a second later two lines whistled clean over the forward decks of
the white craft. Eager hands seized them and hauled in the great
cables and made them fast.

Just for an instant Dan and the mate peered at the yacht to see if the
lines had carried, an instant of which the wily sea took full
advantage. An oily wave reared the bow of the yacht while the swell of
its predecessor slued the _Fledgling_ in and around and upward, so that
the two craft reared, side by side, bows up and not more than five feet
apart. A scream fluttered from the bridge; men's voices raised in
curses at the clumsy yacht were borne from the pilot-house. Dan,
however, had not time for words; he stood with hands on the wheel
watching the red, reeking bow rearing almost in his face; watched it,
cool, ready to take the first chance of escape, if the present dan