Howland. "It was big and fine--you saved a
score of lives, and for them you gave your tug and part of your crew.
I cannot reward such men as you--I can pay just debts, though. Your
men shall not suffer; neither shall the families of those who were
lost."
Then he paused a minute and reached behind the door jamb, bringing out
a water-soaked bit of plank. "One of our best men picked this from the
water. You had been clinging to it. I thought you might like to have
it in your cabin."
It was the name board of the _Fledgling_.
CHAPTER VI
THE BRAVE AND THE FAIR
As Dan seized the strip with its gilt letters and was about to reply,
the yacht slung sideways, and a wave arising amidships smote the
deck-house a lusty, full-bodied blow. It suddenly occurred to the
tugboat captain that the craft, all the time he had been aboard trying
to collect his bewildered senses, had acted strangely. He turned to
Mr. Howland.
"What's the matter with your yacht?"
Howland was a good deal of a thoroughbred, and yet he could not conceal
his eagerness as he spoke.
"The yacht was just what I wanted to speak to you about, Captain," he
said. "I know I have no right to ask anything more of you, but if you
have pulled together, I think we seem to need your assistance. Our
Captain was washed off the bridge, and the first mate is below with a
broken leg.
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