“Ah!  Medicine!  It hasn’t worn off yet, I see!  You shouldn’t have taken it.  Drugs are nothing but poison to young people.  Now at my age there might be some excuse for resorting to them, but you—­” He was talking to cover the panic of his thoughts, for his own predicament had been serious enough, and her presence rendered it doubly embarrassing.  What in the world to do with her he scarcely knew.  His lips were smiling, but his eyes were grave as they roved over the cabin and out into the blackness of the night.

“Are we going to drown?” she asked, dully.

“Nonsense!” He laughed in apparent amusement, showing his large, strong teeth.

She came closer, glancing behind her and shrinking from the oily waters which could be seen over the rail and which had stolen up nearly to the sill of the door.  She steadied herself by laying hold of him uncertainly.  Involuntarily he turned his eyes away, for he felt shame at profaning her with his gaze.  She was very soft and white, a fragile thing utterly unfit to cope with the night air and the freezing waters of Halibut Bay.

“I’m wretchedly afraid!” she whispered through white lips.

“None of that!” he said, brusquely.  “I’ll see that nothing happens to you.”  He slipped out of his life-preserver and adjusted it over her shoulders, first drawing her arms through the sleeves of her dressing-gown and knotting the cord snugly around her waist.  “Just as a matter of precaution!” he assured her.  “We may get wet.  Can you swim?”

She shook her head.

“Never mind; I can.”  He found another life-belt, fitted it to his own form, and led her out upon the deck.  The scuppers were awash now and she gasped as the sea licked her bare feet.  “Cold, isn’t it?” he remarked.  “But there’s no time to dress, and it’s just as well, perhaps, for heavy clothes would only hamper you.”

She strove to avoid the icy waters and finally paused, moaning:  “I can’t!  I can’t go on!”

Slipping his arm about her, he bore her to the door of the main cabin and entered.  He could feel her warm, soft body quivering against his own.  She had clasped his neck so tightly that he could scarcely breathe, but, lowering her until her feet were on the dry carpet, he gently loosed her arms.

“Now, my dear child,” he told her, “you must do exactly as I tell you.  Come!  Calm yourself or I won’t take you any farther.”  He held her off by her shoulders.  “I may have to swim with you; you mustn’t cling to me so!”

He heard her gasp and felt her draw away abruptly.  Then he led her by the hand out upon the starboard deck, and together they made their way forward to the neighborhood of the bridge.

The lights he had seen upon coming from the forward hold were still in view and he hailed them at the top of his voice.  But other voices were calling through the night, some of them comparatively close at hand, others answering faintly from far in-shore.  The boats first launched were evidently landing, and those in charge of them were shouting directions to the ones behind.  Some women had started singing and the chorus floated out to the man and the girl: