QUICK THINKING
“It must have taken some nerve to do it at all,” declared Lee
admiringly.
“Well, we knew they’d have done the same thing for us, if conditions had
been the other way round,” said Quinn. “If seamen didn’t help each other
out that way, the life would be even harder than it is.”
The boys were eager to hear more of the wireless man’s adventures, and
he, nothing loth, spun them more than one yarn of exciting episodes in
far corners of the earth, for he had been almost everywhere that ships
go. He was often interrupted by messages coming or going, but the boys
were fascinated by his stories, and could hardly tear themselves away
when dinner time came.
“That man has surely seen a lot,” remarked Bobby, while they were eating
an excellent meal, “and he knows how to tell about what he has seen,
too. I’m sorry we didn’t get acquainted with him earlier on the trip.”
“So am I,” agreed Lee, “but he’ll be on duty again this evening, and if
we get a chance we can look him up then.”
After lunch the three friends went on deck again. The sea by this time
was quite calm, and the boys strolled over to the port side and, leaning
on the rail, gazed idly out over the broad expanse of waters.
Suddenly the lads heard a shrill yell and a heavy splash alongside the
ship. One of the mess boys, a young negro, had been sitting carelessly
on the rail not far from where the boys were standing, when a sudden
lurch of the vessel had thrown him off his balance and he had made a
clean dive overboard.
For a second the boys were stunned by the unexpectedness of the
accident. Then Bobby whipped out his jacknife, cut loose a life
preserver that Fred was trying to loosen, and tossed it to the
struggling negro in the water. He judged his distance so accurately that
the buoy landed within a foot or two of the unfortunate darkey, who with
a desperate struggle caught hold of it.
Meanwhile, Fred and Lee were shouting “man overboard,” and the cry,
passed from mouth to mouth, reached the bridge. The engine room
telegraph rang “stop” and then “full speed astern.” Almost before the
big ship had come to a shuddering standstill, a boat had been lowered,
and in short time they had the gasping darkey boy aboard.
“Mah Lan’ Sakes!” he sputtered, “Ah don’t known who-all threw me dat
life p’server, but whoevah did saved mah life, Ah reckon, an I’se shuah
enough grateful.”
“Well, who was it threw you the preserver, and how in time did you come
to fall overboard and make us all this trouble?” inquired the mate, who
in his official capacity thought more of the time lost than of the
narrow escape from death the little darkey had had.
“Ah cain’t say, suh, jes huccome I to fall ovahboahd,” said the little
darkey. “Seems like Ah don’t nevah go to git me a little rest on dis
yeah ship but whut somethin’ happens. Ole ship jes gives a roll an’
heaves me clean ovah de side. Ah ain’t sure who give me dat life
p’server, but seems like they was three fellers standin’ by the rail,
and one of ’em done heave it out at me so it pretty near lands plumb
aroun’ mah neck.”
“Yes, but don’t you know who it was?” persisted the mate.
“Well, suh, seems to me it was one of them,” pointing to where Bobby,
Fred and Lee were standing, “but Ah couldn’t rightly say which one.”
“Was it one of you?” inquired the mate, turning to them.
“Well,” said Bobby, “I guess I’ll have to plead guilty. We heard him
splash overboard, and luckily there was a life preserver right near us,
so I threw it over to him.”
“It was rather lucky for young ’Rastus here,” commented the officer.
“Your name _is_ ’Rastus, isn’t it?” addressing the little darkey.
“Yessuh, dat’s part of it,” returned ’Rastus, with a grin that seemed to
show every tooth he possessed.
“What’s the rest of it?” inquired Bobby.
“Mah full name am ’Rastus Abimilech Belshazzar Johnson,” said the little
negro, evidently taking no small pride in this pretentious title.
“It’s a wonder we’re still afloat with a name like that aboard,”
exclaimed Mr. Parr, the mate. “But you’d better get down below, ’Rastus,
and get some dry clothes on.”
“Ah sho’ craves to git me some dry duds,” said ’Rastus. “An’ furdermo’,
’fore Ah goes Ah wants t’ thank, yuh, white boy, for heavin’ me dat cork
doughnut de way yuh did. Ah’d be confabulatin’ wid de little fishes down
at de bottom of de ocean if yuh hadn’t.”
“Oh, that’s all right,” said Bobby. “Next time you’d better be sure
you’ve got a good toe-hold before you decorate the rail.”
“Yessuh,” said ’Rastus, meekly, and departed for the lower regions of
the ship, leaving a wet trail on the white deck to mark his going.
The crowd of passengers that had assembled all wanted to shake hands
with Bobby at once, and were inclined to make a hero of him, but nothing
was further from that young gentleman’s mind, and as soon as possible
the three friends made their escape.
“Whew!” exclaimed Bobby, mopping his face, “you’d have thought I had
really done something, to listen to that crowd.”
“Well, I should say you have done something,” chuckled Lee. “You’ve
saved the longest name I ever heard in my life from getting drowned,
haven’t you?”
“Well, I guess that’s right enough,” laughed Bobby. “If I had known
’Rastus’ full name, I’d have slung him two life preservers, for fear one
wouldn’t be able to float it.”
“It is a mighty big name for such a little rascal,” said Fred, “but he
seemed grateful enough, Bobby. Maybe he’ll do you a good turn some day.
You never can tell.”