Page:The Wireless Operator with the U.S. Coast Guard.djvu/39

 volve, the little boat’s head came sharply about, and in another moment the craft was resting beside the ship’s ladder.

“Can you make it alone?” asked one of the sailors in the boat, as Henry rose to his feet and stepped on the landing-stage of the cutter.

“Sure,” said Henry, who was already recovering his strength.

“Then up with you, quick.”

“All right,” answered Henry, “but first I want to thank you men for saving me. I couldn’t have kept afloat much longer. You got to me just in the nick of time. I don’t know what to say, to make you understand how I feel.”

“Forget it,” smiled the sailor, “and hustle aboard. You'll get pneumonia if you stay there in the wind.”

Henry turned and started to mount the ladder. He noticed that one of the sailors was close behind him, apparently ready to support him if he needed help. But Henry was not now in need of assistance. His strength was increasing every minute. He grasped the ladder-rail and mounted upward, and when he looked ahead of him, he saw that the cutter’s rail was lined with faces. Apparently the entire crew had been watching the rescue.

As he reached the deck, Henry looked about him. Dozens of sailors, in their strange blue uni