Page:Harry Castlemon - The Steel Horse.djvu/219

 in that unseaworthy ship. He was afterwards sorry that he wasted so much sympathy upon them.

About the time the pilot-boat's crew began to despair of picking up the deserter, and filled away to the city to tell the story of his "deliberate suicide" to eager reporters, who published it in their papers the next morning, and Roy was becoming weary of buffeting the waves, the swim was ended and help speedily came. A friendly billow threw him against one of the swaying hawsers that kept the light-ship in place, and the boy held fast to it.

"Boat ahoy!" yelled Roy, with all the strength of his lungs.

An instant later the sagging of the cable soused him under; but the wind caught up his voice and carried it across the intervening space to the deck of the light-ship, and when Roy came up again he saw a couple of tarpaulins above her rail, and as many lanterns hanging over the side.

"Where away?" shouted a voice, that somewhat resembled the deep bass of a fog-horn.