pers, Baldwin
paraded his little _Whist_; and when he was near enough, "We'll heave
you a line!" he hailed. "And in God's name get it, for there mayn't be a
chance for a second one afore the breakers 'll get you."

He placed his mouth to the engine-room tube "Ho-o, Buddie. On deck with
your line now."

"All right, Baldy." Harty turned to his working mate. "So long Pete, see
you later."

"So long, son, and have a care on that open deck."

Harty climbed the iron ladder to the deck, shouldered his way through
the wind-pressed door and onto the deck, and started aft.

It was cold. Under his thin suit of dungaree Harty was rolling in sweat.
The winter wind whipped him like a cat-o'-nine-tails. He crept aft,
coiled his heaving line and waited in the stern for the word. She was
jumping so that to hold his feet on her open, icy deck aft, he was
compelled to hook one hand to the towing bitts.

"Only time for one try, so don't let nothing go wrong. An' watch out for
any of those big fellows comin' aboard, Bud," came Baldwin's last
warning.

V

On Light-ship 67, drifting broad onto the breakers, all hands were
perched high in her rigging, safe above any stray seas; all but Nelson
and Bowen, who were hanging on to her weather rail forward.

Bowen was the first to realize what the figure on the after end of the
tug meant to them. "Heave for here!" he shouted, and Nelson, also awake
to the situation, held up one of the torches for a mark.

Nearer and nearer butted the tug. "Stand by!" they heard the call from
the forward end of her. Looking up, they could see the shadow against
the pilot-house light. "By!" came the echo, and the man astern stepped
on to her open quarter and balanced himself to heave.

A note in that answering voice caught Bowen's ear. "Say, Nelson, that's
not one of the tug's regular crew!"

"I don't know. I don't t'ink, but he ban a foolish man," replied
Nelson--"he should lash himself."

"Stand by with the line!" came again.

"By!" echoed tensely from astern.

"Ready!"

"All ready!"

"When she lifts! Now--w--"

From the top of a sea the line came whistling down to the light-ship
rail. "I'll take it," called Bowen, and, loosing his hold of the stay,
he reached out and caught the flying line to his breast. "A good throw,"
he muttered, and hauled it in.

The hawser followed the heaving line, and Nelson and Bowen, with
life-lines about them, bent the stubborn end of it around the windlass.