The wind, which got more power now that the ship was away, swept down on to the still burning buildings, and, spreading out over the ground, hid from view the vessel, which was gliding out into the harbour, by a curtain of dark smoke fringed with flame; and in the midst of the place where she had stood, which looked vast indeed now she was gone, stood a little band of bent and tar-stained men, fanning their faces with their caps.  In the midst of the band was seen the form of a tall and slender youth, his face glowing red in the light of the fire.

“Gabriel!” shouted Uncle Richard.  “Gabriel!” was repeated by a hundred voices.  The attache elbowed his way towards him, followed by some of the crowd, who, however, stopped and formed a respectful ring round the hero of the day.  Uncle Richard gave Gabriel a hearty embrace, and then turning round to the crowd he cried, “Three cheers for Gabriel Garman!  Hurrah!” He was about to wave his hat, when he discovered that he was bareheaded.

“Hurrah!” shouted the spectators with a mighty cheer; they were just in the humour for cheering.

“Three cheers for the carpenters!” shouted Gabriel; but his boy’s voice broke into a discordant scream in the effort.  But it did not matter; a wild hurrah was given for the shipwrights, another for the ship, and another for the firm.  There was cheering and rejoicing without end.

“Come with me,” said Gabriel to the workmen.  “Father was going to give you a breakfast, but now it will have to be a supper.”

The shipwrights laughed heartily at this joke, but the laughter was even louder when Uncle Richard added, “I think you have earned your breakfast as well.”  They thought the remark so wonderfully witty, that they laughed as if they would never stop, and the joke about “Uncle Richard’s breakfast” was a proverb both with them and their successors ever after.

In the mean time, the storehouse, and everything the yard contained which was burnable, was on fire.  The flames began stealing down the ways, but no one took any notice of them.  The ship was saved.  Nothing else was of much consequence, and fortunately the wind was blowing off the land.  Morten was busy setting a watch for the night, and the engines were kept ready in case the wind might change.

As Uncle Richard and Gabriel were walking back arm-in-arm to the house, the latter had to relate how it had all happened.  Gabriel told his uncle how he had found the shipwrights all beginning to assemble under the ship, and so he had thought he had better take command.

“Take command!” cried Uncle Richard; “why, what a boy you are, Gabriel!” And then Gabriel went on to explain how they got the ways in their places, loosened the cradle, and wedged up the fore part of the vessel; then the stays were hastily removed; it was Begmand who had taken away the last from the stern amidst the fire and smoke, and so away went the ship just in the nick of time.  Tom Robson ought really to have all the praise, since everything was ready to hand, and in the most perfect order.