He was a slim little man with dark eyes and a small mustache above
a cheerful mouth. He listened in silence to my story, and shuddered
when I showed him the jolly-boat. But we were only a few days out
by that time, and, after all, what could they do? He offered to
spare us a hand, if it could be arranged; but, Adams having recovered
by that time, we decided to get along as we were. A strange sight
we must have presented to the tidy little officer in his uniform and
black tie: a haggard, unshaven lot of men, none too clean, all
suffering from strain and lack of sleep, with nerves ready to snap;
a white yacht, motionless, her sails drooping,--for not a breath of
air moved,--with unpolished brasses and dirty decks; in charge of
all, a tall youth, unshaven like the rest, and gaunt from sickness,
who hardly knew a nautical phrase, who shook the little officer's
hand with a ferocity of welcome that made him change color, and whose
uniform consisted of a pair of dirty khaki trousers and a khaki shirt,
open at the neck; and behind us, wallowing in the trough of the sea
as the Ella lay to, the jolly-boat, so miscalled, with its sinister
cargo.
The Buenos Aires went on, leaving us a bit cheered, perhaps, but
none the better off, except that she verified our bearings. The
after house had taken no notice of the incident.
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