o her work like she was a steamer, till the hawser
parted and back toward the rocks went the Flamingo again.

"No use," said Clancy, "sea's too much for any line we got. We'll try
it with the seine-boat. Who'll go in the seine-boat and try to take
them off? Think quick, but mind what it means."

Every man of the crew of the Johnnie Duncan said, "Here!" The cook
even came out of the forec's'le and put in his "And me, too,
skipper."

"You're good men," said Clancy,--"damn good men," and looked us up and
down. We felt proud, he said it in such a way. "But you're taking your
lives in your hands and some of you got wives and children--mothers or
something. Who hasn't anybody depending on him? Which of you hasn't
any woman somewhere, or little brothers or sisters?"

About twelve of the sixteen men standing on the deck of the Johnnie
Duncan said "Me!"

"Three-quarters of you, at least," said Clancy, "are damn liars. Over
with the seine-boat and be careful nobody gets hurt."

Somebody did get hurt, though. Andie Howe got his foot smashed and was
helped below. Clancy gave the rest of us a scolding in advance.
"You're not hurt yet, but some of you will be--like Andie--if you
don't watch out. You'd think that some of you were out on some little
pond up in the country somewhere launching a canoe off one of those
club-house floats. Keep an eye out for those seas when they board. And
watch out for that deckload or some of you'll have a head cut off. A
man killed or a man washed over the rail--what's the difference--it's
a man lost. Look out now--watch, you Steve--damn you, watch out! Over
with it!"

And over it went and with it leaped two men before it could sag away,
while the rest of us stood by the rail watching our chance.

"Nelson," called Clancy, "come away from that rail! Steve, come
away!--come away, I say, and no back talk. Pat, you can go--jump
in--watch your chance or it's the last of you. Eddie, you can go, and
you Bill, and you Frenchy. Joe! stand away from that rail or I'll put
you in the hold and batten the hatches on you. Now, that's better. And
that's enough--six men to the oars and one to steer."

"And who'll steer?" asked somebody.

"You'll know in a minute," said Clancy, and he leaped for the
seine-boat and made it, and grabbed the steering oar. "Stand by--push
off! Fend off in the vessel there! Steve, if anything happens--you
know--you're to take the Johnnie home. Give way, fellows. Now! Watch
out!--