She in red sat in the stern looking ahead, holding her little sister at her side.

The two lads in the middle were baling out wildly, pausing every now and then to turn white faces landward, but returning at once to their task.

And indeed the boat sat so low in the water that it was a miracle how she floated at all.
Armstrong stood up, his friend holding him, and waved his coil of rope above his head.

The signal was read in a moment.

The two girls retreated to the middle of the boat to make room for Roger in the stern.
On and on they came.