rs, and a low
line of the coast on either hand, with the lighthouse beyond, towering
high into the air, and a bright and steady light beaming from the summit
of it.

"I hope the tide is not going _down_," said the gentleman, "for in that
case we may have to wait here half the night."

"Is the tide going down, or coming up?" he said, turning again to the
pilot.

"It will come up. The tide will come up," answered the pilot.

"What does he say?" asked one of the ladies in a whisper.

"He says that the tide will come up," replied the gentleman. "Whether he
means it is coming up now, or that it will come up some time or other, I
do not know. We have nothing to do but to remain quiet, and await the
result."

The clouds had been for some time growing darker and darker, and now it
began to rain. So the gentlemen took out their umbrellas and spread
them, and the party huddled together in the bottom of the boat, and
sheltered themselves there as well as they could from the wind and rain.
They invited Rollo to come under the umbrellas too, but he said that the
rain would not hurt his cap, and he preferred to sit where he could look
out and see what they would do.

"Very well," said one of the gentlemen. "Tell us, from time to time, how
we get along."

So Rollo watched the manoeuvring of the boat, and reported, from time
to time, the progress that she was making. It was not very easy for him
to make himself heard, on account of the noise of the winds and waves,
and the continual vociferations of the pilot and the seamen.

"We are headed now," said he, "right away from the shore. We are pointed
towards the steamer. I can just see her, working up and down in the
offing.

"Now the men are backing water," he continued. "We are going stern
foremost towards the bar. I believe they are going to try to back her
over."

The boat now rapidly approached the line of breakers, moving stern
foremost. The roar of the surf sounded nearer and nearer. At length the
ladies and gentlemen under the umbrellas looked out, and they saw
themselves in the midst of rolling billows of foam, on which the boat
rose and fell like a bubble. Presently they could feel her thump upon
the bottom. The next wave lifted her up and carried her towards the
shore, and then subsiding, brought her down again with another thump
upon the sand. The pilot shouted out new orders to the seamen. They
immediately began to pull forward with their oars. He had found tha