When the youngster at last realized the truth, and saw that he was surrounded by friends, and one of those friends Clif Faraday, he cried for very joy.
“Oh, Clif, I can’t believe it’s true,” he sobbed. “It must be a dream, and I will wake up and--and----”
“And you will find that it’s the finest dream you ever had, youngster,” laughed Clif, cheerily. “You are all right, Nanny,” he added. “You haven’t gone to Davy Jones’ locker yet. But tell us how you happened to get on that spar, you and Greene.”
Nanny glanced at Judson and shuddered. The latter slyly threatened him with his clinched right fist, but the action did not escape Faraday’s eye.
Pouncing upon Greene he grasped him by the collar and jerked him to his feet. Then forcing him against the gunwale he cried, savagely:
“If I see you do that again I’ll heave you overboard, you miserable scamp. You have been ill treating Nanny and I’ll have the truth of it.”
“Pitch him to the sharks,” exclaimed Joy, also laying violent hands upon the shrinking lad.
“I--I--didn’t do anything to him, Faraday,” he cried, struggling to free himself.
“Yes, you did, too,” spoke up Nanny. “When I tried to get on that spar last night, you struck and kicked me in the face, and did your best to make me let go. And you only stopped because you fell into the water. Then I helped you out.”
“We throw him overboard for that,” exclaimed Trolley, fiercely. “He no right to live.”
He advanced upon Judson so menacingly that the fellow fairly bellowed for help.
“I’ll do anything if you spare my life,” he moaned. “Oh, Faraday, don’t kill me. I’ll be your servant and----”
“Shut up,” roughly interrupted Clif. “We can’t execute you, you fool. This is no time or place for heroics. None of us may live another day.”
Judson crept whimpering to the bow of the launch and lay there huddled in a heap.
Clif glanced curiously at the fragment of spar, which was still bobbing and tossing alongside.
“It’s not part of the _Monongahela_,” he said. “It’s from some wrecked merchantman. What a lucky thing it happened along as it did.”
“That’s true,” agreed Nanny, earnestly. “When the collision happened I thought I was a goner. I floundered about and was almost drowned when I bumped against that spar.”