a minute
later turning to the men, he repeated to the crew, "'Steamer, _City of
Nipigon_, seven men aboard, burnin' distress signals, on rocks north and
by west of Au Sable light, quarter of a mile from land.' Right you are,
boys, we're off!"

There was a transformation scene. When the keeper began the sentence,
the Coast Guard station had been a scene of peace and comfort with a
group of men lounging around a hot fire, some reading, some playing
dominoes and others plying needle and thread. But, before the sentence
was over, almost every man was in his oilskins, some were just pulling
on their long boots, while others, even more nimble, had reached the
boat and the apparatus-cart. They were standing by for orders when the
keeper joined them.

"She's less'n a quarter of a mile out, boys," he said. "I reckon we'd
better try an' get her with the gun. After, if that doesn't work, we can
get the boat. But if we can put a line across her right away, it'll be
safer an' quicker. I don't fancy handling the boat down any such ice as
Jefferson talked about."

The apparatus-cart was out of the shed and started almost before the
keeper had finished his orders. Eric, who was no mean athlete, was glad
of every ounce of strength he possessed before he had gone a hundred
yards. The cart, fully loaded, weighed 1120 pounds and there were seven
men to drag it, a fairly good load on decent ground. But the ground was
all of eight inches deep in new-fallen snow into which the wheels sank.
The on-shore wind was dead against them, swirling like a blizzard. The
temperature was only about five degrees below zero, but there was an icy
tang that cut like a jagged knife.

In spite of the intense cold, so laborious was the dragging of that cart
through the snow, that Eric broke out in a violent perspiration. What
troubled him still more was the realization that he was already tiring,
although the party was still on the beaten road. In a very short while,
he knew, they would have to strike off from the track, across wild and
unbroken country to the beach.

To his surprise, the keeper kept right on, leaving the light on the left
hand. The boy, forgetting discipline in his eagerness and excitement,
spoke out,

"I thought they said 'west' of the light!"

The keeper turned and looked. He spoke not a word. There was no need.

Eric colored to the roots of his hair. He felt the rebuke.

Finally when they had passed the light by nearly half a mil