long and regular, the motion was rhythmic. Besides, the thud and
gurgle of water outside the boat's thin planks were soothing and
harmonized with the measured beat of the screw. Jake got drowsy and
although he had meant to take another bearing when he thought he could
double the angle, presently fell asleep.

It was getting dark when he awoke and crept into the cockpit. There was a
change in the motion, for the launch did not roll so much and the combers
no longer broke in showers of spray against her side. She swung up with a
swift but easy lift, the foam boiling high about her rail, and then
gently slid down into the trough. It was plain that she was running
before the wind, but Jake felt that he must pull himself together when he
looked aft, for there is something strangely daunting in a big following
sea. A high, white-topped ridge rolled up behind the craft, roaring as it
chased her, while a stream of spray blew from its curling crest. It hid
the rollers that came behind; there was nothing to be seen but a hill of
water, and Jake found it a relief to fix his eyes ahead. The backs of the
seas were smoother and less disturbing to watch as they faded into the
gathering dark. When the comber passed, he turned to Dick, who stood,
alert and highly strung, at the helm.

"You're heading for the land," he said. "What are you steering by?"

"I got the bearing of a point I thought I recognized on the chart before
I lost sight of the coast. There's a long reef outshore of it, with a
break near the point. If we can get through, we might find shelter."

"Suppose there's something wrong with your bearing, or you can't make
good your course?"

"Then there'll be trouble," Dick answered grimly. "We'll have the reef to
lee and she won't steam out again."

Jake put a kettle on the cylinder-top and took some provisions from a
locker. He was hungry and thought he might need all the strength he had,
while he did not want to look at the sea. The pump was clanking hard, but
he could hear the water wash about under the floorings, and the launch
was very wet. Darkness fell as he prepared a meal with the fireman's
help, and they ate by the dim light of the engine-lamp, while Dick, to
whom they handed portions, crouched at the helm, gazing close into the
illuminated compass. Sometimes he missed the food they held out and it
dropped and was washed into the pump-well, but he ate what he could
without moving his eyes.

Since he must find t