, sheeftless Irish
fireman loon ae mine, Rafferty, said ye'd bring us mair guid luck." Then
he dived below again to the engines so dear to his Scotsman's heart.

The night was dark, but calm and windless, and the panting tug tore her
way through a sea as smooth as glass towards where the ghastly glare of
the last blue light had been seen. Twenty minutes later, Lester caught
sight of the distressed ship. She was lying on her beam ends, and almost
at the same moment came a loud hail--

"Steamer ahoy!"

"Clang!" went the telegraph, and the _Dolphin's_ engines stopped, and
then went astern, just in time to save her from crashing into a boat
crowded with men; a second boat was close astern of the first. They came
alongside, and the occupants swarmed over the tug's low bulwarks, and an
old greybearded man made his way up to Lester.

"My cowardly crew have forced me to abandon my ship. We were caught in
a squall yesterday, and thrown on our beam ends." Then he fell down in a
fit.

"Veer those boats astern," cried Lester to his own men, "I'm going to
hook on to that ship!"

Bailey, one of his best men, gave a yell.

"More luck, boys. Mrs. Lester!"

As the poor captain was carried off the bridge into the little cabin,
the _Dolphin_ went ahead, and in a quarter of an hour, Bailey and his
men had cut away the masts and the tug had the ship in tow.

At daylight next morning Lester brought her into the little bay where
the _Braybrook Castle_ lay, and Bailey anchored her safely.

When Lester boarded her he found she was the _Harvest Queen_, sister
ship to the _Harvest Maid_, _Harvester_, and his own last command, the
_Harvest Home_, all ships of 1,500 tons, and belonging to Captain James
Rodway.

"Why didn't you cut away her masts?" he said to the unfortunate captain
later on.

"Ah, you don't know my owner," the old man replied, "and besides that, I
could have righted the ship if my crew had stuck to me. But after being
eighteen hours on our beam ends, they took fright and lowered the boats.
I'm a ruined man."

"Not at all. You have done your duty and I'll give you command of
another ship to-day--the _Braybrook Castle_. You have nothing further to
do with the _Harvest Queen_. She was an abandoned ship. She's mine now.
Salvage, you know."

The old man nodded his head. "Yes, I know that. And you'll make a pot
oat of her."

"What is she worth?"

"Ship and cargo are worth L80,000. We loaded a general cargo in London