An hour later, the rescue boat reappeared through the fog and the cheering villagers ran to greet them. Falling exhausted on the sand, the volunteers reported that the rescue boat could not hold any more passengers and they had to leave one man behind. Even one more passenger would have surely capsized the rescue boat and all would have been lost.
Frantically, the captain called for another volunteer team to
go after the lone survivor. Sixteen-year-old Hans stepped forward. His mother
grabbed his arm, pleading, "Please don’t go. Your father died in a
shipwreck 10 years ago and your older brother, Paul, has been lost at sea for
three weeks. Hans, you are all I have left." Hans replied, "Mother, I have to go. What if everyone said, ‘I can’t go, let someone else do it?’ Mother, this time I have to do my duty. When the call for service comes, we all need to take our turn and do our part." Hans kissed his mother, joined the team and disappeared into the night.
Another hour passed, which
seemed to Hans’ mother like an eternity. Finally, the rescue boat darted
through the fog with Hans standing up in the bow. Cupping his hands, the
captain called, "Did you find the lost man?" Barely able to contain
himself, Hans excitedly yelled back, "Yes, we found him. Tell my mother
it’s my older brother, Paul!"