3. The keeper will keep all the boat’s gear as far as possible in the boat, except the lantern (which has first to be trimmed and is only wanted for night service) and the life-belts, so that no delay may take place in handing gear into the boat when going on service, and no risk be run of leaving anything behind. 4. The ropes and other gear of the life-boat must on no account be used for private purposes, nor, where avoidable, for any other purpose than that for which they are provided. 5. Whenever any small articles are injured or destroyed, they should be instantly repaired or replaced, and the Superintendent of the district informed accordingly; and when any ropes or other articles of importance are worn-out or destroyed, the fact should be made known at once to the Superintendent. 6. Whenever the life-belts have been wet through with salt water, they should be dipped and washed in fresh water if practicable, and perfectly dried as soon as possible, their durability, without repair, much depending upon this being done. 7. Where there is a carriage to the boat, the wheels should be taken off at least twice a year and the axle-arms greased and the roller-skids should be kept in good order by oiling their axle-bolts occasionally. 8. The life-boat will be manned by the keeper, a bowman, and as many boatmen as the boat pulls oars, and the keeper will have charge of the boat as coxswain. Transcriber's Notes: Punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed. Many words are in dialect and have not been changed. Simple typographical errors were corrected; occasional missing and extra single- and double-quotation marks remedied. Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Life Savers, by James Otis