“If you’re not in the Navy, you ought to be, you splendid fellow.” cried the girl, weakly, holding out her hand in sheer gratitude.  “And, oh, I was such a coward, and so unreasoning!”

“I guess anyone would be unreasoning if drowning and unable to swim,” chuckled Jack Benson.  “I know I would be.”

“That’s good of you,” cried the girl, gratefully.  “Awfully good, but I’m not deceived.  I realize, now, what a criminal ninny I was to, act in a way that came so near to drowning both of us.”

Then the young woman gracefully thanked all who had had any share in her rescue, and that of her brother.  It took a lot of thanking, which everyone of the late heroes tried to dodge.

Then the visitors were taken off, and the midshipmen bundled below until dry clothing could be had for them.

The commanding officer of the “Hudson,” having learned that something had happened was now heading the gunboat toward the “Farnum.”  In another half hour the naval fleet was together again, while the “Greytown” was rapidly vanishing along the northern horizon.

On receiving a report by megaphone, Lieutenant Commander Mayhew’s first act was to order all of the drenched, and now chilled, midshipmen aboard the parent vessel.  Here they were treated with rub-downs, dry clothing and hot black coffee.  Even Jack Benson had been ordered on board, and he had to pass before Doctor McCrea at that.

“Oh, I’m all right,” asserted Benson, who was the first to go before the doctor, while the middies were receiving their rub-downs.  “You can’t kill a salt-water dog with a dash of brine.”

“Yes, you’re in good enough shape,” agreed the Navy medical officer.

Lieutenant Commander Mayhew now began to ask questions about the late occurrence.

When he had finished, Jack broke in with: 

“By the way, sir, you were going to question your prisoner, Sam Truax, to see what you could learn about his reasons for acting the way he did on the ‘Farnum.’”

“I didn’t forget, either,” replied the gunboat’s commander.  “I had him before me last night, and again this morning.”

“And he said—­” began Jack, eagerly.

“Said he hadn’t the least notion what I was driving at,” returned Mr. Mayhew, compressing his jaws.  “And that was about every blessed word I could get out of him.”

Jack looked, thoughtfully, in the direction of Doctor McCrea for a few moments, before he broke forth: 

“Doctor, if I had anything like your chance, I’ll wager I’d have Sam Truax talking in short order.”

“How?” inquired Doctor McCrea, looking up with interest.

“Why, I’d—­” Jack hesitated, glancing in the direction of the gunboat’s commanding officer.

“I—­I guess I had better go and see how the midshipmen are coming on,” muttered Mr. Mayhew, rising.

Yet there was a twinkle in his eye as he turned away.