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Chapter 9 User Interface Design
9-1
Chapter9: UserInterfaceDesign
Teaching Tips and Strategies (from Alan Dennis)
This chapter probably presents the design of user interfaces somewhat differently than
other textbooks you might have used. The first part of the chapter focuses on the overall
design process, while the last half focuses on the detailed elements of the design. We
have chosen to present interface design in this way, because in our opinion, it is critical to
design the input, output and navigation elements as one integrated, coherent whole. We
approach this using the traditional top-down approach commonly used in industry, but
less commonly seen in the classroom. I usually spend two classes on this chapter. In this
chapter, we focus on the user interfaces, but it is important to remember that system
interfaces must also be designed (e.g., between two or more systems that exchange data).
I start by presenting the six fundamental principles for user interface design. I walk
through them and remind students that these should be used a priori in the design of the
system, as well as post-hoc after the interface design is finished as checklist to go back
over the design. Many of these principles should be common sense, but I've found that
before I explicitly mentioned them (and encouraged students to use them as an evaluation
checklist), they were violated as often as they were followed. I sometimes present
examples of screens that seem reasonable at first glance, but are really quite bad designs,
and then ask students to assess them using the six principles. This helps drive home the
fact that user interface design is not simple
The design process is fairly straightforward, but once again, before I started presenting
the process as a series of five steps, students often developed poor designs. The idea of
developing a design and thinking about how the users will actually use it in the use
scenarios before sitting down and writing programs is an extremely powerful concept that
has greatly improved the quality of the designs produced by my students. While they
used to design them on paper, it just never was the same as thinking about them in action.
The CD Selections case is particularly useful in showing how the use scenarios can be
used to improve the design.
I usually try to spend one class session on the second half of the chapter, but sometimes it
takes more like a class and a half. There are lots of details here that can get tedious and
dull, but nonetheless are important. We have tried to put most of the details in the tables
so if you prefer you can focus on the principles and concepts, and leave the details to the
students to read and use as they design the interface for the their project.
Some of the Your Turn boxes (10.7, 10.8, 10.9) can be used to stimulate class discussion
by using them as assignments that students do in class or bring to class for discussion and
critique by other students using the principles in each section. This may change the need

9-2
to cover many minor details into a discussion of how to apply the details in the context of
a user interface design.
War Stories (from Alan Dennis)
User Interface Evaluation
Getting widespread evaluation of a user interface can be difficult. One of the consulting
projects I worked on brought a set of twenty users into an e-JAD meeting room. The
analysts demonstrated the initial interface design prototype (a series of mock-up screens).
After each screen, the analysts paused while users typed their comments into the e-JAD
system. Since the e-JAD system was anonymous, the users felt more comfortable
complaining. And since everyone could type at the same time, no small set of users
dominated the evaluation process. Once the users were finished, the analysts continued
with the next screen, while another group of analysts read the users' comments to make
sure they understood them. If they did not understand, they made sure to ask questions at
the next break.
Navigation Design in SAS
One of the programs I love to hate is SAS, the statistical analysis system I use in my
research. SAS has one of the worst user interfaces of any widely used commercial
system I have used. The biggest problem is that SAS does not follow many of the
Windows standards. For example, in SAS Control/F means add a footnote, not Find as it
does in virtually every other Windows program (now how many times do you add a
footnote to a SAS printout and why in the world would you want a hot-key for it, let
alone a very commonly used one that means something else everywhere else). SAS does,
of course, have a find command, but it has no hot key, meaning you have to use two
mouse clicks to bring up the find menu. Once you do a find (or a replace), the find
window disappears so if you want to find (or replace) the next occurrence, you have you
again use two mouse clicks to bring up the box. And how many times do you want to
repeat a find or replace?
Answer toYourTurn 9-1: Web Page Critique
Student answers will vary, however, they should address each of the six principles of
user interface design:
 Layout
 Content Awareness
 Aesthetics
 User Experience
 Consistency
 Minimizing User Effort

9-3
Answer toYourTurn 9-2: Personas & USD for the Web
Student answers will vary depending upon the university web site. However,
student responses should include an outline of the steps a user would perform to
accomplish a task; finding a course description, registering for a course, etc.
Answer toYourTurn 9-3: Personas & USD for anATM
Student answers will vary depending upon their choice of activity. Examples of
use scenarios for an ATM are as follows:
Use Scenario: Authentication
1. User inserts card into card reader
2. Upon prompt, user taps numeric keys for PIN input
3. User is granted access to account(s), or user is denied access.
Use Scenario: Withdrawing Cash from ATM
1. User is granted access to account
2. User will choose withdraw from a menu of available transaction types
3. User will choose account from which to withdraw
4. User will key in monetary amount to withdraw
5. User will remove card, money, and receipt
Answer toYourTurn 9-4: Interface Structure Design forATM
The following is an example, with DFD notations omitted.

9-4
1
ATM
Main Menu
0
ATM
Authentication
2
Withdraw
3
Deposit
4
Transfer
5
Check
Balance
2.1
Enter
Account
Information
5.1
Enter
Account
Information
4.1
Enter ‘From’
Account
3.1
Enter
Account
Information
2.2
Enter
Amount
3.2
Enter
Amount
4.3
Enter
Amount
4.2
Enter ‘To’
Account
3.3
Receive
Receipt, Card
2.3
Receive
Receipt,
Card, Cash
4.4
Receive
Receipt, Card
5.2
Receive
Receipt, Card

9-5
Answer toYourTurn 9-5: Interface Standards Development
Student answers will vary, the following is an example of an Interface Standard
for an ATM.
Interface Standards – ATM
Interface Metaphor: Banking Account Access
Interface Objects: Accounts
Customer
Monetary Amounts
Interface actions: Screen – present options
Customer choice – withdraw, deposit, transfer, check balance
Verification of account status
Interface icons: Bank logo
Account icon – ledger sheet
Customer icon – person
Monetary icon – dollar bill
Answer toYourTurn 9-6: Prototyping and Evaluation
Student answers will vary, however, as most ATMs do not employ a browser
interface, the HTML prototype would not apply. As the system will primarily be
used by customers, either a walk-through evaluation or an interactive evaluation
would provide the most feedback from a user standpoint regarding the
functionality of the new design.
Answer toYourTurn 9-7: Design a Navigation System
Student answers will vary depending upon their familiarity with drawing
software. Typically answers will include a menu based system with associated
forms, one each for customer, product, and order with the ability to change, delete
or search for a record.

9-6
Customer Information
Customer Information
Change Delete Search
Customer Product Order
Last Name
First Name
Address
Phone
Email
Answer toYourTurn 9-8: Career Services
Student answers will vary. Typically answers will include online processing to
ensure that each resume will be available to recruiters as soon as possible. Input
format could be an online form that is basically a resume template, allowing the
student to fill in text boxes for name, education, experience, etc. To minimize
keystrokes, all dates might have a drop down list containing the numbers 1-31 for
the day fields, a drop down list with 1-12 for the month fields, and a drop down
list of a range of years for the year fields.
Answer toYourTurn 9-9: Career Services
Student answers will vary. An example of an input form follows:

9-7
Validation checks should be identified for month/day combinations as well as
recognizing leap years.
Answer toYourTurn 9-10: Finding Bias
Student answers will vary depending upon the publications and graphs found.
Answer to Concepts inAction 9-A: Interface Design Prototypes
1. The team probably decided on a language prototype because it allows the user to
see detailed examples of the interfaces to the system. The user does not have to
use his imagination to determine what the interfaces will look like as they might
with a story board or an html approach.
Career Services Resume Form
Last Name:
First Name: Middle Initial:
Name:
Street Address:
City: State: Zip:
Education:
Experience: (Enter the last position you held first)
Date of last position: Title:
Begin Month: Year:
Description of Duties:
Day
:
End Month: Year:
Day
:
Phone: E-mail:

9-8
2. The trade-offs to using a language prototype is that it can be expensive and may
take longer to develop.
Answer to Concepts inAction 9-B: Public Safety Depends on a Good User
Interface
Student answers will vary. However, steps should include:
 Involving the user in the decision-making process for selecting the system.
 Testing the new system under the conditions in which it will be used.
 Offering in-depth training for the end users
 Offering training that simulates real-time conditions.
Answer to Concepts inAction 9-C: Selecting the Wrong Students
Since the faculty assumed that the final report was in a rank order, they may have
assumed that the order in which the students’ names appeared for evaluation was in rank
order of grade point average or standardized test scores. It would seem that the faculty
was not familiar with the system enough to use it accurately, thus errors may have been
made in the input of their evaluations.
Answer to Concepts inAction 9-D: Cutting Paper to Save Money
Reports that are most suited to an electronic format include: ad hoc reports, customized
reports, reports that the user might interact with (search, delete, correct, etc.). Reports
that are most suited to a paper format are those for which a permanent record are needed,
reports that need signatures and reports that need to be portable (used in meetings).
Solutions to End of Chapter Questions
1. Explain three important user interface design principles.
The authors list six principles of user interface design:
 Layout - the interface should be a series of areas on the screen that are used
consistently for different purposes.
 Content Awareness - the user is always aware of where they are in the system and
what information is being displayed.
 Aesthetics - interfaces should look inviting and should be easy to use.
 User Experience - experiences users prefer ease of use, while inexperienced users
prefer ease of learning.
 Consistency - users can predict what will happen before a function is performed.
 Minimize Effort - interface should be simple to use.
2. What are three fundamental parts of most user interfaces?

9-9
 Navigation mechanism - the way the user gives instructions to the system and
tells it what to do.
 Input mechanism - the way in which the system captures information
 Output mechanism - the way the system provides information to the user or to
other systems.
3. Why is content awareness important?
Content awareness means that the interface makes the user aware of the information
delivered through the interface with the least amount of user effort. This is important
because if the user is constantly aware of where he is and what he is seeing, he will
find the system much easier to use and his satisfaction will be high.
4. What is white space and why is it important?
White space refers to areas on an interface that are intentionally left blank. The more
white space on an interface, the less dense the information content. Designers need to
try and strike a balance between information content and white space. Some white
space is necessary to help the users find things on the interface. Generally, more
experienced users need less white space than novice users.
5. Under what circumstances should densities be low? High?
Low densities are preferred by infrequent or novice users of an interface. These users
will be unfamiliar with the interface and will be helped by having a balance of
information and white space on the interface. High densities can be acceptable to
experienced users of the interface, because they are highly familiar with the
information on the interface and do not need as much white space to help them find
what they are looking for.
6. How can a system be designed to be used by both experienced and first time users?
Experienced users prefer systems that focus on ease of use, while novice users prefer
systems that are easy to learn. These two goals are not necessarily mutually
exclusive. Generally, systems should be set up so that the commonly used functions
can be accessed quickly, pleasing the experienced users. To assist the novice users,
guidance should be readily available, perhaps through the “show me” functions that
demonstrate menus and buttons.
7. Why is consistency in design important? Why can too much consistency cause
problems?
Consistency means that all parts of the same system work in the same way. This
enables the users to predict what will happen because a function in one part of the
system works the same way in other parts of the system. Users will be confident as
they work with different parts of the system if they can predict the behavior of

9-10
functions throughout the system. The problem with too much consistency is that
sometimes the users don’t differentiate forms or reports that look very similar to each
other, and inadvertently use the wrong one. So, in these cases, there should be
enough unique characteristics to distinguish each form and report from the others.
8. How can different parts of the interface be consistent?
The navigation controls can be consistent, using the same icon or command to trigger
an action throughout the system. Terminology can be consistent throughout the
interface. The content portion of the screen that contains forms and reports should
also present consistently designed reports and forms. Messages and information in
the status area should be specified consistently throughout the system.
9. Describe the basic process of user interface design.
First, identify ‘use cases’ that describe commonly used patterns of actions that users
will perform. These use cases will be valuable in ensuring that the interface permits
the users to enact these use cases quickly and smoothly. Next, develop the interface
structure diagram, defining the basic structure of the interface (screens, forms, and
reports) and how the interface components connect. Third, develop interface
standards, the basic design elements that will be used throughout the interface.
Fourth, create prototypes of the various interface components (navigation controls,
input screens, output screens, forms, and reports). Finally, evaluate the prototypes
and make changes as needed.
10. What are personas & use case scenarios and why are they important?
Use cases describe commonly used patterns of actions that users will perform. Use
cases describe how users will interact with the system. Use cases are developed for
the most common ways of working through the system. These use cases will be
valuable in ensuring that the interface permits the users to enact these use cases
quickly and smoothly.
11. What is an interface structure diagram (ISD) and why are they used?
An interface structure diagram shows all the screens, forms, and reports in the system,
how they are related, and how the user moves from one to another. The diagram
helps depict the basic components of the interface and how they work together to
provide users the needed functionality. The structure of the interface depicted in the
ISD can be examined using the use cases to see how well the use cases can be
performed. This is an important early step in developing simple paths through the
most common activities performed in the system.
12. Why are interface standards important?

9-11
Interface standards help define the basic, common design elements in the system.
These standards help ensure consistency throughout the system.
13. Explain the purpose and contents of interface metaphors, interface objects, and
interface actions, interface icons, and interface templates.
 The interface metaphor provides a concept from the real world that helps the user
understand the system and how it works. If the user understands the metaphor
being used, he will probably be able to predict where to find things and how
things will work even without actually using the system.
 Interface objects are the fundamental building blocks of the system. Object
names should be based on the most understandable terms.
 Interface actions specify the navigation and command language style and the
grammar of the system. Action terminology is also defined.
 Interface icons are pictures that are used to represent objects and actions in the
system, often shortcuts, that are available throughout the system.
 The interface template defines the general appearance of all screens in the
information system and all forms and reports that are used. The template
consolidates all the other major interface design elements - metaphors, objects,
actions, and icons.
14. Why do we prototype the user interface design?
Prototyping helps the users and programmers understand how the system will
perform. Prototypes can be very useful in helping the users conceptualize how they
will actually work with the system, and prototypes can help identify problems or
misconceptions in the interface before it is actually implemented.
15. Compare and contrast the three types of interface design prototypes.
Storyboards are really just pictures or drawings of the interface and how the system
flows from one interface to another. HTML prototypes are web pages that show the
fundamental parts of the system. Users can interact with the system by clicking
buttons and entering data, moving from page to page to simulate navigating through
the system. Language prototypes create models of the interface in the actual language
that will be used to implement the system. These will show the user exactly what the
interface will look like, which is not possible with the other two methods.
16. Why is it important to perform an interface evaluation before the system is built?
An interface assessment is important before the system is built because we need to do
as much as we can to improve the interface design prior to implementation. It is
wasteful to wait until after implementation to evaluate the interface because it will be
expensive to go back and modify the interface at that point.
17. Compare and contrast the four types of interface evaluation.

9-12
These techniques vary in terms of the degree of formality and the amount of user
involvement. Heuristic evaluation involves assessing the interface based on a
checklist of design principles. This assessment is usually performed by team
members, who independently assess the interface and then compare their assessments.
Weaknesses that are common in all the evaluations then point to areas that need
modification. Users are not involved in this process. In a walkthrough evaluation,
the users see the interface at a meeting presentation, and they are “walked-through”
the parts of the interface. The interactive evaluation can be used when the prototype
as been created as an HTML or language prototype. The users can actually interact
with the interface as if they were using the system, and can give direct comments and
feedback based on their experience. Problems or areas of confusion can be noted and
corrected by the team. Formal usability testing has the users interacting with the
interface without guidance from the project team. Every move made by the user is
recorded and then analyzed later in order to improve the interface.
18. Under what conditions is heuristic evaluation justified?
Heuristic evaluation is probably justified in situations where the interface is well
understood. When there is little uncertainly about how the interface should function,
then it is probably sufficient to just assess it internally by comparison to a checklist of
design principles. It would be dangerous to use this technique (which does not
involve users) if there was uncertainty about what should appear in the interface or
how it should function.
19. What type of interface evaluation did you perform in the Your Turn Box 9.1?
This is an example of heuristic evaluation, since the interface is being compared to a
set of design principles.
20. Describe three basic principles of navigation design.
 Prevent Mistakes - this principle is directed toward developing the navigation
controls to help the user avoid making mistakes.
 Simplify Recovery from Mistakes - this principle recognizes that mistakes will
happen, and so is directed toward making it as easy as possible to recover from
those mistakes.
 Use Consistent Grammar Order - This principle states that the order of commands
should be consistent throughout the system.
21. How can you prevent mistakes?
While it is impossible to completely prevent mistakes, there are some things that will
help the user avoid mistakes. First, make sure all commands and actions are clearly
labeled. Limit the number of choices that are presented to the user at one time to help
reduce confusion. Never display a command or action that is inappropriate for the

9-13
situation. Also, give users a chance to confirm potentially destructive actions (such
as deleting a record).
22. Explain the differences between object-action order and action-object order.
Commands given to the system usually follow a sequence of ‘specify the object, then
specify the action’ or ‘specify the action, then specify the object.’ This is referred to
as the grammar order of the commands. The designers should select the grammar
order desired for the system and use it consistently.
23. Describe four types of navigation controls.
 Languages - most often this navigation control refers to a command language, or a
set of specials instructions that are used to instruct the system. In order to
perform a task the user must know the correct command to give the system.
Natural language interfaces free the user to give instructions in everyday
terminology, but these types of systems are not common.
 Menus - this navigation control presents the user with a list of options that can be
performed as needed. Menu structures present the user with an organized set of
commands to apply
 Direct manipulation - this type of navigation control involves working directly
with interface objects, such as dragging a file from one location to another.
 Voice recognition - this navigation control involves giving instructions to the
computer verbally. Some of the systems only recognize certain commands, while
others recognize more natural speech. Progress is being made in this technology,
but it is not yet common in systems.
24. Why are menus the most commonly used navigation control?
Menus are the most commonly used navigation control because they are much easier
to learn than a language, and they are very simple to work with, enhancing the ease of
use of the system.

9-14
25. Compare and contrast four types of menus.
The menu bar is usually the main menu of the system. It consists of a list of
commands across the top of the screen that is always displayed. The commands on
the menu bar represent the main objects and/or actions of the system, and lead to
other menus. Drop-down menus appear immediately below another menu. A series
of commands are listed, and these lead to direct actions or other menus. The drop-
down menu disappears after one use. Pop-up menus appear to ‘float’ on the screen,
usually triggered by a right-click on the mouse. A series of commands that pertain to
the work the users was doing are listed. Pop-up menus are often used to present an
experienced user with shortcuts to common commands. Pop-up menus disappear
after one use. A tab menu is a multi-page menu, each page represented by a tab on
the menu. Each tab represents a set of related actions or settings. The tab menu will
remain on the screen until the user closes it.
26. Under what circumstances would you use a drop-down menu versus a tab menu?
A drop-down menu is commonly used as the second-level menu, triggered when one
of the main menu options is selected. The drop-down menu lists another set of more
specific commands that will either lead directly to an action or to another, more
detailed menu. The tab menu is chosen whenever the user needs to make multiple
choices (such as specifying several settings) or perform several related commands.
The tab menu stays open until the user has completed making the choices and closes
the menu. Use a tab menu whenever the user needs to do several related tasks at one
time.
27. Describe five types of messages.
Error messages are displayed when the user has done something that is not permitted
or cannot be carried out. An error message should inform the user why the attempted
action is illegal or incorrect. Confirmation messages are displayed whenever the user
has entered a command that has major significance and may be destructive (such as
shutting down the system or deleting a record.). The confirmation message is used to
force the user to verify that the action is the correct one. Acknowledgment messages
signify that an action or task is complete. These messages can be used to ensure that
the user knows what the system is doing, but they can become very annoying if
encountered frequently. Delay messages indicate that the system is performing a task
and that the user should wait until the task is completed. These messages keep the
user informed about the system status, and can be very helpful, especially to novice
users who may not appreciate the time certain tasks require. Help messages provide
the user with additional information, and are an important means of giving users
instructions and guidance when needed. Even experienced users will need access to
help for rarely used system functions.

9-15
28. What are the key factors in designing an error message?
An error message should first identify the error. Some additional explanation of the
problem is also usually provided. Then, the message should inform the user how to
correct the problem. Finally, a button for user response is usually included that clears
the message off the screen and enables the user to take the corrective action.
29. What is context-sensitive help? Does your word processor have context-sensitive
help?
Context-sensitive help means that the help system recognizes what the user was doing
when the help was requested, and help specific for that task is displayed. MS Word
does have context-sensitive help.
30. Explain three principles in the design of inputs.
The most significant input design principle is to capture data as close to its point of
origin as possible. By electronically collecting the data at its point of origin, time
delays are minimized and errors can be reduced. A second important input design
principle is to minimize user keystrokes. Use source data automation techniques
whenever possible. Only ask the user to enter new data into the system; use reference
tables and lookups whenever possible. When the inputs have known values, use
default values check boxes, radio buttons, or drop-down lists. Finally, use the
appropriate mode of processing (online versus batch) for the application. Batch
applications are generally simpler than online applications, but have the disadvantage
of not updating the databases or files immediately. Online applications are more
complex than batch, but are used when it is necessary to have immediate update of
the databases or files.
31. Compare and contrast batch processing and on-line processing. Describe one
application that would use batch processing and one that would use on-line
processing.
Online applications process the entire transaction, including updates to the files or
databases, immediately when the transaction occurs. Batch applications, on the other
hand, accumulate transactions over some time period, then process all transactions
from the batch completely and post them to the files and databases at one time. An
airline reservation system is a classic example of an online system, since the flight
reservation is immediately reflected in the system database. Payroll systems are
commonly batch applications, with payroll transactions accumulated over the pay
period and processed as a batch at one time.

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CHAPTER III.
THE HAULING OF THE SEINE.
In less than five minutes after the first cry announcing the
appearance of the eagerly expected fish, the great thirty-foot,
double-ended seine-boat, rowed by eight men, had left the schooner
and started in the direction of the school. In its stern, with his hand
on the long steering oar, stood the seine-master, directing the course
of the boat and keeping a sharp lookout ahead. Pulling after them as
fast as he could was Breeze McCloud, in the single dory that the
Curlew carried. The schooner, left in charge of the skipper and cook,
was thrown up into the wind, and was held as nearly stationary as
possible until it could be seen where she would be wanted.
“Come, stretch yourselves, lads! stretch yourselves! Let’s see
who’ll break the first oar! Those other fellows are just humping
themselves. It’s Yankee against Yankee this time, and you’ve got a
tough lot to beat,” shouted the seine-master.
He would, of course, have been very sorry to have an oar broken,
but he had such confidence that the men could do no more than
bend the tough ash blades, no matter how hard they tugged, that
he was perfectly willing they should try. By the “other fellows” he
meant the crew of another fishing schooner, which daylight of that
morning had disclosed not far from them, and which had evidently
discovered mackerel about the same time they had. They, too, were
out in their seine-boat, and doubtless looked forward with as great
confidence as did the men from the Curlew to taking the first fare of
the season into New York.
“Easy, lads, easy now!” ordered the seine-master, in a tone of
suppressed excitement; “here’s our school.” Now he tossed

overboard a small keg, or buoy, to which was attached one end of
the upper, or cork line of the great net. Near this Breeze was to wait
in his dory. Then, bending to their oars, the boat’s crew began to
pull, with lusty strokes, in a great circle around the school of fish
that was rippling the water close beside them. Swimming in a dense
body close to the surface, often throwing themselves clear of the
water, with their steely blue sides flashing in the morning light, the
mackerel were darting madly hither and thither. At one instant the
whole school, moved by some mysterious impulse, would make a
simultaneous dash in one direction, and the next it would as
suddenly rush back again. In the cool dim depths beneath them,
dog-fish, sharks, and other hungry sea pirates were breakfasting off
the newly arrived strangers, and devouring them by the score. In
the air above them circled and swooped great fishing hawks, anxious
to make a meal off of fresh mackerel. Now to these enemies was
added man, the most cruel and greatly to be dreaded of all. No
wonder the poor fish were frightened and undecided as to the
direction of their flight from so many imminent dangers.
Meantime the great net, a quarter of a mile long, had been
skilfully drawn completely around them. Breeze, in his dory, obeying
previously given instructions, carried the buoy that had first been
thrown overboard to the seine-boat, in which the other end of the
cork-line was still held and made fast. The circle was now perfect,
and the fish were surrounded by a wall of fine but stout twine. Their
only chance of escape lay at the bottom of the net, and in another
minute this opening would also be closed against them.
While the upper edge of the seine was floated by means of
numerous large corks attached to the rope that ran along its entire
length, its lower edge was sunk and held straight down by an equal
number of leaden rings. Through these ran a second stout line,
known as the “purse rope,” an end of which remained in the boat.
By pulling on this all the leaden rings could be drawn close together,
and as the net was now in the form of a circle, its lower edge would
form a purse in which there would be no opening for escape.
Hauling on this rope and “pursing” the seine is the hardest part of
the entire job, and takes the united efforts of the seine-boat’s crew.

It is also a most exciting operation, for if it is successfully
accomplished the fish are caught and an ample reward for all the
previous toil is almost certain. If, on the other hand, the fish take
alarm at the last moment and dart downward through the still open
bottom of the net, all the hard work goes for nothing and must be
done over again, perhaps many times before a successful haul is
made.
Such was the case in this instance. Success was almost within
reach of the Curlew’s crew, when suddenly the entire school of fish,
upon which they were building such high hopes, dropped out of
sight like so many leaden plummets, and were gone. They had
evidently decided that there were more chances for life among the
sharks and dog-fish than within the power of their human enemies,
and had wisely seized their last chance of escape from them.
It was a bitter disappointment, and it was made the keener by the
sight of certain movements on board the rival schooner that
indicated a successful pursing of their seine and a heavy catch of
fish. Slowly, and with much grumbling over their hard luck, the
Curlew’s men gathered in their net and empty seine. They piled it up
carefully, rings forward and corks aft, in the after-part of their boat,
ready for the next time. Then they listlessly pulled towards their
schooner, which was lying near by, and on board which breakfast
awaited them.
The Curlew sailed close to the other schooner in order to learn her
luck, and witness the lively scene about her. The stranger’s seine
had enclosed an enormous school of fish, which was estimated at
nearly, if not quite, five hundred barrels. One end of it had been got
on board the schooner, and the dipping out of the fish was about to
begin. They were greatly frightened, and rushed from side to side
with such violence that many of them were crushed to death. All at
once they sank, and their weight was so great as to draw one
gunwale of the heavy seine-boat under the water, although eight
men were perched on the opposite side to counterbalance it.
When a crew find a greater quantity of fish on their hands than
they can take care of, as was the case now, it is customary, if there
is another vessel within hail, to give her the surplus rather than to

throw it away. Having often done this himself, Captain Coffin did not
hesitate, as the two schooners drew close together, to hail the other
skipper and ask if he had any fish to give away.
“No, I haven’t,” was the surly answer. “If you want fish go and
catch ’em.”
“All right,” answered Captain Coffin, somewhat provoked, but still
good-naturedly; “we’re the lads can just do that, and we’ll beat you
into New York yet.”
“Looks like it now, doesn’t it?” shouted the other, scornfully. “If
you do, though, it won’t be because I helped you. I’d rather lose
every fish I’ve got alongside here than to give you one of them.”
These words were hardly out of his mouth when the captured fish
darted violently towards the bottom of the net, and the seine-boat
was nearly capsized, as has been related. Its crew hurriedly
scrambled to the upper side. Suddenly the boat righted, so quickly
that the whole eight men were flung overboard, and found
themselves floundering in the cold water.
The situation was startling as well as comical, though the
explanation of what had happened was very simple. The frightened
fish, in their downward rush, had torn a great hole in the net, which
was an old one, and through it they had instantly darted to depths
of safety. The seine, being thus relieved of its burden, no longer
pulled the boat down, and it at once yielded to the weight of the
men on its upper gunwale.
Under ordinary circumstances this mishap would have excited the
sympathy of those on board the Curlew. Now, on account of the
uncivil reply of the rival skipper to their captain, they were inclined
to rejoice at what had happened, and they roared with laughter at
the rueful faces of the dripping men as they scrambled back into
their boat.
To Breeze the whole affair presented itself in such a comical
aspect that he laughed louder and longer than any of the others,
though in a perfectly good-humored way, and without a trace of an
unkind feeling towards those who had been so unfortunate. His
mirth was, however, deemed peculiarly irritating by one of the rival

crew, a young man with an ugly face that bore unmistakable traces
of dissipation. He shook his fist at Breeze and called out,
“Never you mind, young feller, I’ll not forget you! And maybe I’ll
find a chance to make you laugh out of the other side of your mouth
some day.”
This speech sobered Breeze at once, though at first he looked
around in a bewildered way, thinking it could not possibly be meant
for him. When he realized that it was he shouted back,
“Seems to me I wouldn’t feel so bad about it if I was you. I wasn’t
laughing at you, anyway. I was laughing to think how surprised
those mackerel must have been when you went diving down after
them, trying to catch ’em in your hands.”
This raised another shout of laughter from the Curlew men, but
the young man towards whom it was directed only shook his fist
again at Breeze, and turned away without a word, going below to
find some dry clothes.
Breeze saw that he had unwittingly made for himself an enemy in
this stranger, and for a time the knowledge caused him real distress.
He was a warm-hearted boy, preferring friendships to enmities, and
would at any time sacrifice his own pleasure or comfort to win the
former and overcome the latter. At the same time, he was not sorry
that he had asserted his own independence and answered back as
he had. The incident soon passed from his mind, however, in the
rush of more stirring events, and it was some time before he was
again reminded of it.
Captain Coffin was much puzzled to account for the surliness of
the rival skipper until the Curlew passed astern of the other
schooner, so that her name, Roxy B., and her hailing port could be
read. Then it flashed across him that this was the Rockhaven craft
that was thought to be so fast, but which he had beaten in a fair
race on a run into Boston the summer before.

“SEEMS TO ME I WOULDN’T FEEL SO BAD ABOUT IT IF
I WAS YOU.”
To bear ill-will for such a cause certainly showed a small and mean
mind, and Captain Coffin said he was very glad the other had
refused to let him have any fish, for he should hate to be under
obligations to such a man.
The Curlew had not gone more than a mile from the Roxy B. when
the fish of which she was in search began to rise to the surface on
all sides of her. The seine-boat was quickly sent out, while Breeze, in
his dory, followed it as before. This time a school was successfully
surrounded, and the net was pursed without a mishap. A flag
hoisted on an oar in the boat was the signal to the schooner that
they had made a large haul and needed her assistance. She was
soon brought alongside of the pursed seine with its burden of
glittering fish, and from it a long-handled scoop-net, worked with a
tackle, was dipping them, a half-barrelful at a time, and transferring
them to her deck.

The catch was about one hundred and fifty barrels of mackerel
that were of a prime quality as to size, but so thin that they would
have been unfit to split and salt. The afternoon was drawing to a
close before they were all got on board and the seine was properly
stowed in its boat; but there was no rest for the tired crew yet a
while. Sail was made on the schooner, and she was headed for
Sandy Hook, nearly three hundred miles away. Then all hands,
except the cook and the man at the wheel, turned to and began
“gibbing” and packing the fish.
Mackerel are so delicate that they die almost as soon as they
touch a deck, and will quickly spoil if not cared for at once. So there
was no time to lose, and the whole catch must be “gibbed,” or
cleaned, and packed in ice before sleep could be thought of.
In “gibbing” a mackerel the gills are plucked out, and with them
come the entrails. This operation was performed with marvellous
rapidity by the skilled workers of the crew, the refuse matter was
tossed into square wooden boxes known as “gib-tubs,” and the
cleaned fish were thrown into bushel baskets.
Down in the hold the blocks of ice were removed from a pen, and
reduced to small bits by heavy sharp-pointed “slicers.” A layer of this
broken ice was shovelled over the bottom of the empty pen, and
above it was spread a basket of fish. Then came another layer of ice,
then more fish, and so on until the pen was full, when another was
emptied and filled in the same manner. It was long after midnight
before the crew of the Curlew knocked off work, with the last of
their fish safely packed away; but, tired as they were, they were also
highly elated by their success, and by the prospect of being the first
mackereller of the season into New York.
The next day, spent in running up the coast with a brisk westerly
breeze, was one of the happiest that can come to the in-shore
fisherman. Everybody was in the best of humor, from the knowledge
that they had, stowed beneath their hatches, a fair-sized catch of
the very earliest mackerel of the season. They knew these would
bring an extra price, and pay each of them at least twice as much as
they would make under more ordinary circumstances. There was
little to do except stand watch and clean ship; so that most of the

day was devoted to the spinning of yarns in the forecastle, and the
singing of songs to a banjo accompaniment in the cabin. The cook
made them a great dish of Joe-floggers (peculiar pancakes stuffed
with plums) for breakfast, and a gorgeous plum-duff for dinner.
Upon the whole, Breeze enjoyed the day so thoroughly that he
wondered how anybody could complain of the hardships of a
fisherman’s life, or think it anything but fascinating.
They passed the double Highland lights, and rounding Sandy
Hook, stood up New York Bay some time during the following night;
the next morning, by daylight, they were snugly moored in the
Fulton Market slip, among scores of other fishing vessels, none of
which had on board a single mackerel. Theirs was the first catch of
the season, and before breakfast-time it had been sold in bulk for
three thousand dollars. Of this, after expenses were deducted, each
full share amounted to ninety-two dollars, while the half share
credited to Breeze was forty-six dollars. This seemed to him a large
sum of money to have been earned in a week, only one day and
night of which had been devoted to real hard work. He at once
wrote to his mother telling her the good news, and as he did so he
felt that he had become, if not an important member of society, at
least a very wealthy one.
In the afternoon he took a short walk through the lower part of
the great city, but became so bewildered by the noise, bustle, and
crowds of people that he dared not go very far for fear of getting
lost. On one of the downtown streets that he did visit he was
attracted by the sight of a jeweller’s window. This reminded him of
what his mother had said, that if anybody could open the golden ball
that hung from the chain around his neck it would be a city jeweller.
Entering the store, he stepped up to an elderly gentleman who
stood behind a desk, and unclasping the chain, handed it and the
ball to him, saying, “I don’t know whether this ball will open or not;
can you tell me, sir?”
The jeweller examined the trinket carefully, and seemed
particularly interested in the unique tracery with which it was
ornamented. For several minutes he did not speak; then he asked,
abruptly, “Where did you get this?”

Breeze told him in a few words all that he knew of its history as
well as his own.
“H’m,” said the jeweller. “You wait here a moment, while I show
this to my partner.”
He was gone so long that Breeze began to grow uneasy, and had
just about made up his mind to go in search of him, when he
returned. He was accompanied by a low-browed, swarthy individual,
who, when Breeze was pointed out, stepped up to him and said,
“This trinket, that you have brought in, is quite a novelty in our
line, and I should like to buy it of you. It is a puzzle-charm of East
Indian make. Unless one knows the secret of its construction, it
cannot possibly be opened except by an accident that might not
happen in ten thousand times of trying. I learned my trade in
Calcutta, and am probably the only man in New York City to-day who
can open this little ball. You see that I can do it.”
Here he showed Breeze the ball open, but did not let him see its
contents. Then turning his back for an instant, he again displayed it
closed as before.
“What will you take for it?” he asked.
“It’s not for sale,” answered Breeze, “but I am willing to pay for
learning the trick of how to open it, for I am curious to know what it
contains.”
“That information is not for sale either, nor will I tell you what the
ball contains,” said the jeweller. “Moreover, if you will not sell it to
me, or show me some proof that you are its rightful owner, I shall
keep it until I can place it in the hands of the police, for it is my
belief that you have stolen it.”

CHAPTER IV.
A SUDDEN DISASTER.
The jeweller’s accusation was so unexpected and startling to
Breeze that he flushed hotly, and for a moment found no words to
answer it. Then he demanded, indignantly,
“How dare you say such a thing? Give me back my property
instantly, or I shall be the one to call in the police!”
“Certainly, my young friend, certainly, when you produce the proof
that it is yours,” replied the man, dropping the trinket into a drawer,
of which he turned the lock.
There was no element of decision lacking in Breeze’s character; he
was quick to act in emergencies, and without another word he
stepped to the door. A small boy was passing.
“Sonny,” said Breeze, “run quick and bring a policeman. If he is
here within five minutes I will give you five cents.”
The boy, keenly alive to a situation that promised so much
excitement as this, started off on a run. Breeze remained standing
where he could survey the whole interior of the store, and could
especially keep an eye on the drawer in which lay his property.
The men inside watched him closely. They had seen him despatch
the boy on some errand, but had not overheard what he said, and
did not know what it was. Now the one who had opened the ball
approached him and said,
“Why don’t you go for your proofs? You had better hurry, as we
shall close up soon, and then we could not look at them until to-
morrow.”
“I have sent for them,” answered Breeze, simply.

“Oh,” said the man, somewhat disconcerted. “Well, of course, if
they come in time, and are satisfactory, you shall have your charm
back, and an apology into the bargain.”
“Here comes one of them now,” replied Breeze, as he handed a
five-cent piece to a breathless small boy, who came running up just
in front of a big policeman.
"THAT GENTLEMAN THERE REFUSES TO RETURN A
GOLD BALL AND CHAIN THAT I HANDED HIM FOR
EXAMINATION."
To this officer Breeze said, “That gentleman there,” pointing to the
dark-skinned jeweller, “refuses to return a gold ball and chain that I
handed him for examination. He says he thinks I stole them, and he
has locked them up in a drawer. I think I can bring one of the best-
known men in New York to vouch for my honesty; but it may be
some time before I can find him. Now, I want to know if you will

take this trinket, as the gentleman calls it, and keep it for me until I
return?”
“Why not just as well leave it where it is?” interrupted the jeweller,
eagerly. “It will be perfectly safe here, as this officer knows.”
“No,” said Breeze, “that will not do. You must give it to the officer
at once, or else I shall go to the police-station, and enter a
complaint against you for stealing.”
The partners whispered together for a minute. Evidently the bold
stand taken by the lad, and his prompt action, had made a decided
impression upon them.
Before they could reach a decision as to what they should do, the
officer spoke up and said,
“The young man is right. If there is any stolen property in the
question, the proper place for it is in the station-house. So, if you
will just hand over this article, whatever it is, I will take it there.”
There was no appeal from this decision. The locket was reluctantly
given up to the officer, who took both it and Breeze to the station-
house near by. Here the sergeant in charge listened attentively to all
that he had to say, as well as to the story Breeze had to tell.
“Go with him,” he said, finally, to the officer, “down to the
schooner, and see what sort of a character his captain gives him.
Then bring him back here.”
With this he placed the golden ball and chain in a drawer of his
own desk, and again turned to his writing.
Breeze and the officer found Captain Coffin talking to the
gentleman to whom he had sold his cargo of fish that morning. He
happened to be not only a prominent business man, but an active
local politician, and was the very person whom Breeze had in his
mind when he had offered to bring a well-known citizen to establish
his character.
Begging their pardon for the interruption, Breeze told his story to
Captain Coffin, and the politician also listened to it.
When the story was finished, the latter, turning to the captain,
said, “Can you vouch for this lad’s honesty, skipper?”
“Certainly I can, as I would for my own,” was the answer. “I have
known him from his babyhood, and, moreover, I have often heard

this golden ball spoken of by his adopted father, though I have never
seen it.”
“Then,” said the other, “supposing we step up to the police-
station, and have it returned to him. It is one of the most curious
cases I ever heard of, and I am interested to see that the boy comes
out of it all right.”
Within ten minutes the sergeant had been satisfied that Breeze
was the rightful owner of the locket, had returned it to him, and he
had again clasped its chain about his neck. He was very happy in
thus regaining possession of it, and very thankful to those who had
so promptly assisted him. When Captain Coffin proposed that they
should now go to the jeweller’s shop and get him to again open the
ball, Breeze begged him not to think of such a thing. “I don’t want
that man ever to get it into his possession,” he said, “and I don’t
believe he’d open it for us anyway, now.”
“I guess the boy is about right,” remarked the politician,
thoughtfully. “That fellow has evidently some strong reason for
wishing to obtain the trinket, and if he got hold of it again he might
change it for another that looked just like it, and we never be the
wiser.”
This was just what Breeze had thought of when he had refused to
leave the jeweller’s shop and go in search of proofs of his ownership
of the locket, and he was greatly pleased at this evidence that he
had acted wisely.
That night the Curlew sailed out of New York Bay, and was once
more headed to the southward in search of the early mackerel. The
following day was clear and bright, but very cold for that season of
the year. There were only a few clouds to be seen; but the sky was
coppery in color, and the wind, which was still off-shore, was fitful
and baffling. At supper-time, about an hour before sunset, the man
at the wheel, who happened to be one of those who ate at the first
table, said,
“Here, McCloud, you belong to second mess; take the wheel while
I eat supper, will you?”
“Certainly I will,” answered Breeze, cheerfully. “What’s the
course?”

“South by west, half west, an open sea, a favoring wind, and no
odds asked or given,” was the laughing response, as the man hurried
forward.
Captain Coffin was impatient to get back among the mackerel, and
so the schooner was running under all the sail she could carry,
including a jib-topsail and a huge main-staysail.
Somewhat to his surprise, Breeze now found himself the sole
occupant of the deck. The skipper and half the crew were eating
their supper in the forecastle, while the others were in the cabin,
sleeping, reading, and keeping warm. On account of the cold, they
had drawn the slide over the companion-way.
It was the first time the young sailor had been left in sole charge
of the vessel, and he realized the responsibility of his position. Still,
owing to his father’s teachings and careful training, he felt quite
competent to manage her, so long as no especial danger threatened.
He also comforted himself with the thought that there was not the
slightest chance of anything happening in the short time before he
should be relieved.
While thus thinking, and at the same time keeping a sharp watch
of the sails, the compass, and the dog-vane that, fluttering from the
mainmast-head, denoted the direction of the wind, he was startled
by a curious humming sound in the air above him. It was a weird,
uncanny sound, unlike anything he had ever before heard, and it
filled him with a strange fear. He was just about to call the men in
the cabin, when suddenly there came a roar and a shriek above his
head. Then the little circular tornado, directly in whose track the
unfortunate Curlew happened to be, struck her such a terrible blow
that she was powerless to resist it. In an instant she was knocked
down and thrown on her beam ends. The white sails, that had
soared aloft so gracefully, and offered so tempting a mark for the
spinning whirlwind, now lay flat in the water, heavily soaking and
holding the schooner down.
Breeze had spun the wheel with all his might, and thrown the
helm hard down, in the hope of bringing her up into the wind; but
the blow had been too sudden and too heavy. The rudder no longer

controlled her, and she lay as helpless as though waterlogged, held
down by that terrible dragging weight of top-hamper.
As she went over, one man had struggled up from the forecastle
and been instantly buried in the sea beneath the heavy canvas of
the foresail. Breeze knew that the reason no more came was that a
torrent of water was rushing with resistless force through the narrow
opening. Beneath him he could hear the smothered cries and
struggles of the prisoners in the cabin. In a few minutes more the
vessel would sink, and all within her would be miserably drowned.
Their only hope was in him. What could he do? What could he do?
Standing on the weather side of the wheel when the schooner was
struck, he had saved himself from going overboard by clinging to it.
Now he scrambled to the upper side of the house, and holding on to
the weather-rail, began to hack desperately at the lanyards of the
main rigging with his sheath-knife. If only the masts would break off
and relieve the vessel of that awful weight of soaked canvas, she
might right herself.
One after another the lanyards snap like strained harpstrings.
There! the rigging has gone and the mast cracks. Now for the fore
rigging! How he reached it the boy never knew; in fact he
afterwards had very little recollection of what he did amid the
terrible excitement of those two minutes; but he did reach and cut
it.
Then there came a rending of wood as the tough masts broke off.
Then slowly, very slowly, the vessel righted herself, and once more
rode on an even keel, though half full of water, and as sad a looking
wreck as ever floated.
As she righted, the after companion-way was burst open by the
mighty effort of those beneath the slide, and they rushed out
gasping for breath and with glaring eyes. They had been very nearly
suffocated by steam and gas generated by the water pouring down
the funnel on the glowing coals in the cabin stove.
From the forecastle also emerged, one by one, the half-drowned
figures of those who had been imprisoned in it. But for the prompt
action of the brave boy on deck, they would never have left its
flooded recesses. One of their number was missing, and he was the

man whose place at the wheel Breeze had taken, and who had
forced his way out as the vessel capsized, only to be drowned
beneath the canvas of the foresail. He would be sincerely mourned
later, but there was no time to think of him now. The others were
still in too imminent peril of losing their own lives.
As the stricken craft rolled like a log in the sea-way, she pounded
heavily against the masts and spars, which, still attached to her by
the lee rigging and head-stays, floated close alongside. The danger
that her planking might thus be crushed in was so great that, in
spite of his own wretched condition, Captain Coffin saw it the
moment he gained the deck. Calling upon the others to follow his
example, he drew his knife and began to cut away the tangle of
cordage that bound the vessel to this new enemy.
When it was finally cleared, the seine-boat, which was still
dragging astern, was pulled up, and half the crew went in it to tow
the mass of spars and canvas clear of the schooner, and save such
of the sails as they could. The rest began to labor at the pumps, and
to rig a jury-mast on which they might spread such sail as would
carry her into port. The main-mast had snapped off so close to the
deck as to leave nothing to which they might fasten a jury-spar; but
of the foremast a stump some six feet high remained, and with this
they hoped to accomplish their purpose.
While the skipper, Breeze, and two others were thus engaged,
those at the pumps suddenly called out that the water was gaining
on them, and that the vessel was about to founder.
It was only too true; the stanch little schooner had evidently made
her last voyage, and would never again sail into Gloucester harbor.
In fact, the water was gaining so rapidly that it was within a foot or
two of her deck, and there was no time to lose in leaving her. Those
in the seine-boat were fortunately within easy hail, and dropping
their work, they quickly had it alongside.
There was no need of seeking an explanation of the rapid inflow
of water. It was only too plain that gaping seams had been opened
by the great strain of her masts and sails while the schooner lay on
her beam ends. It was more than probable, also, that butts had

been started here and there by the jagged ends of the heavy spars
as they lay in the water pounding and grinding against her sides.
Nothing could be saved. There was barely time for all hands to
tumble into the seine-boat and pull it to a safe distance from the
fast-sinking vessel. Then they lay on their oars and watched her. She
seemed like some live thing, aware of the fate about to overtake her,
and struggling pitifully against it. The swash of the water in her
cabin sounded like sobs, and the faces of the men who watched her,
usually so bright and merry, were as sad as though they watched at
the bedside of a dying friend.
The sun was setting red and angry in a mass of black clouds that
came rolling up out of the west as she took the final plunge, and
diving bows first, disappeared forever, leaving her crew silent,
motionless, and awe-stricken at the catastrophe that had thus
overtaken them.
The skipper was the first to break the silence, and in a tone of
forced cheerfulness he said, “Well, boys, the old Curlew has gone
where all good crafts go, sooner or later, and we must be thankful
she hasn’t taken us along with her. I honestly believe we should all
have shared her fate, and that of poor Rod Mason, if it had not been
for this brave lad and the quick wit that taught him to do exactly the
right thing at the right moment. I have not the slightest doubt that
we owe our lives to Breeze McCloud, and right here I want to thank
him, and to pay my respects to the memory of the brave man who
brought him up to act as a true sailor should in such an emergency.”
These were grateful words to poor Breeze, who was feeling the
loss of his shipmate, and of the schooner, more keenly than any of
his companions, and fearing that perhaps they would blame him for
what had happened. He had given Captain Coffin a hurried account
of the disaster, and of how he had cut away the masts; but the
skipper had found no time then to say what he thought of the
course the boy had pursued.
Now, one by one, the men reached forward to shake hands with
him, and had it not been for the thought of the drowned man, he
would, in spite of their miserable situation, have felt as light-hearted
as though already in port.

There were neither water nor provisions in the boat, they had no
mast, sail, nor compass. Most of them were wet through, and
already chilled to the bone by the cold wind, which was rising, and
promised to freshen into a gale before midnight. Breeze was the
only one who was dry and had his oil-skins on, and but for his
hunger he would have been comparatively comfortable.
They stopped near the floating wreckage of spars and sails long
enough to obtain the schooner’s main-topsail, and the foregaff which
they hoped to rig up as a mast in the boat. They also cut away a
small lot of the lighter cordage. Then they headed their craft to the
westward, and started to pull for the distant land. The skipper said
they were not more than fifty miles from the coast, and if the sea
did not get too rough, they ought to make it by noon of the next
day.
They were divided into two watches, and while half of them
rowed, the rest huddled together as close as possible in the bottom
of the boat for warmth.
It was nearly midnight, the wind was blowing a gale dead against
them, and they seemed to be making no progress whatever. Breeze,
unable to sleep, was sitting up gazing out into the blackness behind
them. Suddenly, as the boat rose on the crest of a great wave, he
sprang to his feet and cried, “A light! I see a light!”

CHAPTER V.
SAVED BY ELECTRICITY.
The joyful cry of a light at once put new life and hope into the
hearts of the hungry, drenched, and shivering occupants of the
seine-boat. Those who had huddled together under the wet canvas
of the top-sail in the vain effort to keep warm, as well as those who
were pulling hopelessly and wearily at the oars, gazed eagerly in the
direction indicated by Breeze. Yes, there it was, faint and yellow in
the distance, apparently that of some vessel approaching them from
the southward. They could see it as their boat rose on the crests of
the great billows, though it was lost again when they sank into the
black hollows between them.
Soon they were able to distinguish a second yellow light, lower
than the other, and by the position of these they knew that the
approaching vessel was a steamer, and a large one at that. Then her
red and green side-lights came into view. They watched anxiously to
see which of these would disappear first, in order to determine on
which side of them she was going to pass. If the red light should be
lost to view, then they would know she was passing to windward of
them. In that case there would not be the slightest chance of any
cries they could utter reaching her, and she would go on her way
unconscious of their presence. If the green light should disappear, it
would be a sign that she was about to pass to leeward. In that case
there was a possibility that their shouts, borne down the gale, might
attract the attention of the watch on her deck. Still, she might not
stop even then, and it was an almost unheard-of thing for a boat to
be picked up at sea in the darkness of midnight, amid the noise and

tumult of a gale. They fully understood their position, but, slight as
their chance was, they watched for it hopefully.
All at once, as they were lifted from a deep, watery hollow, and
looked for the lights, they gave utterance to exclamations of dismay.
They could still see the green light and the two yellow lights, but the
red one was no longer visible.
“’Tain’t no use. She’s going to windward of us;” muttered one of
the men, at once giving up all hope, and again lying down in the
bottom of the boat. “Luck’s against us, and we might as well reckon
on help from the old Curlew as from that craft.”
Most of the others evidently thought as he did, and they turned
their eyes resolutely away from the lights, as though determined to
be no longer tantalized by them. But Breeze could not give up so
easily, and he still watched the lights whenever a lifting wave
afforded him an opportunity of seeing them.
What! Can it be? Or are his eyes deceiving him? No. It certainly is
the red light again, now much more distinct than before. The
steamer has altered her course and is heading directly for them. The
men are filled with new life at the boy’s exultant cry announcing his
discovery. They spring up and gaze incredulously. It is true, and both
lights are now to be plainly seen, not more than half a mile away
and bearing directly towards them. Now they fear that she may run
them down, and begin to pull to windward, so as to give her a clear
berth. At last she is close upon them, and the green light disappears,
while the red shows clear and steady.
“Now for a shout, men! All together as I give the word. One! two!
three!” commands the skipper.
It is a wild, desperate cry that startles the lookout on the forward
deck of the steamer from the half reverie into which he has fallen.
Again it comes to his ears, and again, borne on the wings of the
gale across the angry waters; and now it is heard by the steamer’s
captain, who has not left the pilot-house that night.
A gong clangs down among the engines, and a hoarse order is
shouted to the engineer through the speaking-tube. The great screw
under the steamer’s stern stops for a moment, and then churns the

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