I wasn't makin' no mistake when
I sized yuh up as the right sorter lad to take leetle Joey's place."

The life saver put an arm affectionately across the shoulders of his
companion, and Darry never felt prouder in his life than when he
realized that he had "made good" with this simple surfman who had been
so kind to him at their first meeting.

"I only wish I had been able to do what I wanted to. It it had been any
other man but Mr. Quarles I think he would have fixed it up, and I
meant to put aside what I earned this winter, either from trapping or
working for Mr. Singleton, to wipe out all that debt. I will yet, if I
have the chance, and you can get somebody to take over the mortgage," he
said, stoutly.

"Give me time to think, lad. Wen yuh kim acrost another time p'raps I'll
have some plan made up. I'd do nigh anything to save pore Nancy bein'
put outen our leetle home. 'Taint much to look at, but she sets a heap
by it, I reckon. And as soon as I git a chanct I mean to drop outen this
business an' try to make a livin' another way, so I kin be home more.
Fishin' it might be, er somethin' thet way."

That night Darry played for the men, but they could not help noticing
that much of his music was along the sad order.

In the morning the sky was still overcast, and the sound lay in a bank
of half darkness that looked like fog, though the whistling wind seemed
to forbid such a thing.

Abner was a little dubious about letting the boy depart, but Darry
laughed at the idea of any harm befalling him.

He had several things he wished to attend to, and besides, Mrs. Peake
would need him through the day in many ways.

He entered his boat and took up the oars for a hard row, for the wind
was of too deceptive a character to allow him to make use of his sail.

The men of the station had come down to see him off, for by this time
Darry had won his way into the hearts of every rough fellow, and they
looked upon him as a sort of general ward of the crew, pulled out of the
sea at their door and destined for great things.

Not one of them but who believed a bright future awaited Peake's new
boy, and many were the predictions made among them, some even venturing
the assertion that he would be president yet.

So they waved their sou'westers and shouted a merry good-bye to him as
he rowed into the gray blanket of mist that shrouded the sound.

CHAPTER XVIII

THE IMPRISONED LAUNCH

The prospect ahead did not dismay