would mean much. He must get the boat under steerage
way, and head her down stream.

It took him but a second to reach the cabin door and tear it open. A
bright flash showed him two white faces at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hustle up here, an' give a hand," he ordered.

"W-what's wrong?" Donaster asked, shaking with fear.

"Never mind what's wrong. I ain't got time to explain. Git a move on."

The men at once obeyed, scrambled up the steps, and tumbled on deck.

"Come on," Eben commanded. "Follow me."

This, however, was no easy thing to do, for the two men found it most
difficult to make their way across the blocks of stone. The lightning
blinded and dazed them so much that they often stumbled and fell, so by
the time they reached their guide who was standing by the halliard,
their bodies were bruised in a number of places.

"Lay hold on this rope," Eben ordered. "We've got to hist the sail or
this boat'll be aground. Now, pull fer all yer worth."

"Without a word the two men did as they were bidden, and as the sail
slowly rose it flapped wildly in the wind, and threatened to tear
itself loose from the yards. Fortunately at this critical moment the
wind lulled for a brief spell, which enabled them to accomplish the
task, and make the halliard fast.

"Now come over here," Eben again commanded. "I want ye to look after
the sheet-line." He darted across the deck, the men following him as
fast as possible. "Look after this rope," he continued, "an' do jist
as I say." He then sprang aft, and laid hold of the wheel.

Although this had taken but a short time the "Eb and Flo" had already
drifted into the main channel and in a few minutes she would have been
aground on the opposite shore. A quick turn of the wheel caused the
boat to fall off to the left, and presently she was under way, headed
down the river. And not an instant too soon, for scudding through the
rough water she cleared by only a few yards the edge of the soft
ground. With sail hauled closer than was safe, she sped forward and at
length reached a wider stretch of water. Eben breathed a deep sigh of
relief when the danger was past, and he steered the boat a little more
to the left. The two men at the sheet obeyed his every command, and he
smiled to himself as he remembered how high and mighty they had been
when they boarded the boat that evening.

The storm was now rolling away to the east, and the wind was lessening.
But still th