150 THE BOY CAPTAIN.

“T am glad Bean wasn’t needed,” Ben said, half to
himself. ‘“There’s no telling how soon we shall get the
wind again, or from what quarter it may come, and I
should have felt mighty uncomfortable if he had gone
aboard for five or six hours’ work.”

« Will they be able to repair the damage so as to get
into port?’’ Miss Dunham asked, for the schooner
looked to be thoroughly a wreck, even though the injury
received was by no means as great as might have been
expected.

“ Yes, indeed ; that isn’t much of a job with a full crew.
They ’ll soon be able to get head sails on to her, and work
up toward port in pretty good shape, unless they strike
heavy weather. The captain of that craft will never
come as near death again without meeting it, as he did
when the waterspout headed straight for him.”

“TIT thought the schooner and all on board were
doomed,’ Miss Dunham said, with a shudder.

“And I reckon they were of the same opinion. It
had an ugly look for afew moments. Well, Mr. Bean?”
he added, as the boats came alongside.

“The schooner Shooting Star, Captain Hardy, from
Australia for Hong Kong, sixty-one days out. His com-
pliments, and he thanks you for offering assistance, but he
has crew enough to patch the hooker up into decent
shape. There’s a spare spar aboard that he’ll rig for-
ward, and counts on the weather holding as it is for six
or eight hours at the least.”

«Very well, come aboard, sir, and you may get the light