it might already
seem so dangerous. It was to him as is the thunder, when compared to the
lightning, in the mind of the philosopher; or rather he knew, that, if
harm might come from the one on which he floated, its ability to injure
must first be called into action by the power of the sister element.

"What think you of our case now?" asked Mrs Wyllys, keeping her look
closely fastened on his countenance, as if she would rather trust its
expression than even to his words for the answer.

"So long as the wind continues thus, we may yet hope to keep within the
route of ships to and from the great northern ports; but, if it freshen to
a gale, and the sea begin to break with violence. I doubt the ability of
this boat to lie-to."

"Then our resource must be in endeavouring to run before the gale."

"Then must we scud."

"What would be our direction, in such an event?" demanded Gertrude, to
whose mind, in the agitation of the ocean and the naked view on every
hand, all idea of places and distances was lost, in the most inextricable
confusion.

"In such an event," returned our adventurer, regarding her with a look in
which commiseration and indefinite concern were so singularly mingled,
that her own mild gaze was changed into a timid and furtive glance, "in
such an event, we should be leaving that land it is so important to
reach."

"What 'em 'ere?" cried Cassandra, whose large dark eyes were rolling on
every side of her, with a curiosity that no care or sense of danger could
extinguish; "'em berry big fish on a water?"

"It is a boat!" cried Wilder, springing upon a thwart, to catch a glimpse
of a dark object that was driving on the glittering crest of a wave,
within a hundred feet of the spot where the launch itself was struggling
through the brine. "What ho!--boat, ahoy!--holloa there!--boat, ahoy!"

The deep breathing of the wind swept by them, but no human sound responded
to his shout. They had already fallen, between two seas, into a deep vale
of water, where the narrow view extended no farther than the dark and
rolling barriers on either side.

"Merciful Providence!" exclaimed the governess, "can there be others as
unhappy as ourselves!"

"It was a boat, or my sight is not true as usual," returned Wilder, still
keeping his stand, to watch the moment when he might catch another view.
His wish was quickly realized. He had trusted the helm, for the moment, to
the hands of Cassandra, who suffered the launch to