The next minute his guess was confirmed, when a hearty voice hailed him: "Waal, here I am, lad--all shipshape and in first-class trim.

Now, what is it?
What do yer want?
Yer didn't explain in the note, but old Captain job Hudgins'll always stand by a shipmate in distress." "Why, whatever do you mean, captain ?" exclaimed Rob, amazed, and thinking that the captain must have taken leave of his wits.

"Who do you mean is in distress ?" "Mean ?" echoed the captain, in his turn, it seemed, surprised.

"Why, that note yer sent me.

Here it is--all written on one uv them new-fangled machines." Rob took the crumpled paper the old seaman drew out of his coat and scanned it hastily by the light of the street lamp.