“Look sharp now, lads!” shouted the man at the sculling oar, as the boat and the skiff, rising and falling upon the swell, approached each other.  “Look sharp!  Now, heave her, b’y!”

And Jimmy, in the bow of the skiff, with coiled painter ready, tossed it to one of the men.  The boats were straightened out, the skiff drawn alongside, and in a moment Jimmy and Bobby were aboard, with Skipper Ed’s skiff trailing behind.

“Why, it’s Skipper Ed’s partner an’ Abel Zachariah’s lad!  My eyes!  My eyes now!  And whatever brings you driftin’ around the sea at this time of the mornin’, and with nary an oar?” exclaimed the man astern, who proved to be Captain Higgles of the Newfoundland fishing schooner Good and Sure, who for as long as the lads could remember had anchored for at least one night each summer on his outward voyage down north, or on his homeward voyage south, in the shelter of the island upon which Skipper Ed had always fished, or behind Itigailit Island.  And so it happened that Captain Higgles recognized Bobby and Jimmy, and they recognized him.

“Oh,” explained Bobby, “we were getting ice off a berg yesterday, when she shifted and turned us over and we lost our oars.”

“Yesterday, was it?  And so you young scallawags ha’ been cruisin’ about since yesterday, eh, with nary an oar.  Now listen t’ that, b’ys!  Cruisin’ around with nary an oar!  My eyes!  Oh, my eyes!” and the captain roared with laughter, as though it were a great joke, and the four seamen laughed with him.

“And neither of you’d be eatin’ a biscuit, an’ drinkin’ a mug o’ tea, now, if you had un!” he continued.  “I’ll be bound both o’ you young daredevils’d turn up your nose at a mug o’ tea and a biscuit, now.  Wouldn’t ye?”

“No, sir,” said Jimmy, “we wouldn’t turn up our nose at anything good to eat.”

“I could eat the oarlocks this minute!” broke in Bobby.

At which Captain Higgles exclaimed, “My eyes!  Oh, my eyes!” and indulged in another burst of hearty guffaws.

“Well, b’ys,” said the captain, “I know how you feels, an’ I knows where you’ll get th’ tea and th’ biscuit.  An’ th’ cook aboard th’ Good an’ Sure’ll show you.”

“Thank you,” said Bobby.

’"Twere lucky I sees you,” continued the captain.  “There’s a sick lad with a rash aboard, an’ it’s a wonderful troublesome rash, and makes he sick.  I were just turnin’ in t’ see Skipper Ed, thinkin’ he might know what t’ do for the little lad t’ relieve he, when we sights you.”

“What, sir!” exclaimed Jimmy, “are we as far south as that?”

“Aye,” said the captain, “we’re just t’ th’ s’uth’ard o’ Skipper Ed’s fishin’ place.  An’ weren’t you comin’ from there when you goes adrift?”

“No, sir,” explained Jimmy.  “Partner and I are down at Itigailit Island with Abel Zachariah this year, and we went adrift from there.”

“An’ there we goes, then!” said the captain.  “Another hour’s sail, but time saved.  Lucky for you that we sights you, an’ lucky for th’ sick lad, an’ lucky for me—­lucky all around.  My eyes!  ‘Tis like t’ be a lucky day.”