r far
on to her side. She righted herself in an instant, however, and on we
went, flying through the water.

"How do you feel, Adams?" called out Charlie mischievously, from his end
of the boat.

"Pleasant motion, isn't it?" put in Hutton, laughing.

"Look here, you fellows," said Hall abruptly, "stop fooling now, and
look after the boat."

"Why, what's the row?" said Hutton, struck with his unusually serious
tone. "It's all right, isn't it?"

"It's all right," said Hall curtly, "if you'll only attend to the
sailing."

Our merriment died away on our lips, for it was plain to be seen Hall
was in no jesting humour.

Then several things struck us which we had not previously noticed. One
was that the wind had shifted farther north, and was blowing hard right
into the bay, gathering strength every minute. Hall, we noticed, was
sailing as close as possible up to it, thus making our course far wider
than that which had brought us in the morning.

"Why are you steering out like that?" I ventured to ask.

"Because if I didn't-- Look out!" he exclaimed, as a sudden gust caught
the boat, making her stagger and reel like a drunken man. In an instant
he had released the sheet rope, and the sail flapped with a tremendous
noise about the mast. It was but an instant, however, and then we saw
him coolly tighten the cord again, and put back the helm to its former
course. After that I did not care to repeat my question.

Reader, have you ever found yourself at sea in an open boat, a mile or
so from land, in a gathering storm; with the wind in your teeth and the
sea rising ominously under your keel; with the black clouds mustering
overhead, and the distant coastline whitening with breakers? Have you
marked the headlands change from white to solemn purple? Have you
listened to that strange hiss upon the water, and that moaning in the
wind? Have you known your boat to fly through the waves without making
way, and noted anxiously by some landmark that she is rather drifting
back with the current, instead of, as it seems, tearing before the wind?

If so, you can imagine our feelings that afternoon.

It was useless to pretend things were not as bad as they looked; it was
useless not to admit to ourselves we were fairly in for it now, and must
brave it out as best we could; it was useless to maintain we had not
been foolish, wickedly foolish, in starting on so venturesome an
expedition; it was useless to deny that it wo