I looked at him inquiringly.
"Talk of a mess!" he giggled.
"What's wrong ?" I demanded.
Again he chuckled.

"Don't you see there, in the stern-sheets, on the bottom?
May I never shoot a seal again if that ain't a woman!" I looked closely, but was not sure until exclamations broke out on all sides.

The boat contained four men, and its fifth occupant was certainly a woman.

We were agog with excitement, all except Wolf Larsen, who was too evidently disappointed in that it was not his own boat with the two victims of his malice.
We ran down the flying jib, hauled the jib-sheets to wind-ward and the main-sheet flat, and came up into the wind.

The oars struck the water, and with a few strokes the boat was alongside.