he had tightened to her double hawsers.

"Ah, ah! Never was there such a man!"

The Frenchman's eyes were glistening with admiration for such perfect
seamanship, and 'Frisco Kid's were likewise moist.

"Just like a yacht," he said as he went back into the cabin. "Just like
a yacht, only better."

As night came on the wind began to rise again, and by eleven o'clock had
reached the stage which 'Frisco Kid described as "howlin'." There was
little sleep on the _Dazzler_. He alone closed his eyes. French Pete was
up and down every few minutes. Twice, when he went on deck, he paid out
more chain and rope. Joe lay in his blankets and listened, the while
vainly courting sleep. He was not frightened, but he was untrained in
the art of sleeping in the midst of such turmoil and uproar and violent
commotion. Nor had he imagined a boat could play as wild antics as did
the _Dazzler_ and still survive. Often she wallowed over on her beam
till he thought she would surely capsize. At other times she leaped
and plunged in the air and fell upon the seas with thunderous crashes
as though her bottom were shattered to fragments. Again, she would fetch
up taut on her hawsers so suddenly and so fiercely as to reel from the
shock and to groan and protest through every timber.

'Frisco Kid awoke once, and smiled at him, saying:

"This is what they call hangin' on. But just you wait till daylight comes,
and watch us clawin' off. If some of the sloops don't go ashore, I 'm not
me, that 's all."

And thereat he rolled over on his side and was off to sleep. Joe envied
him. About three in the morning he heard French Pete crawl up for'ard and
rummage around in the eyes of the boat. Joe looked on curiously, and by
the dim light of the wildly swinging sea-lamp saw him drag out two spare
coils of line. These he took up on deck, and Joe knew he was bending them
on to the hawsers to make them still longer.

At half-past four French Pete had the fire going, and at five he called
the boys for coffee. This over, they crept into the cockpit to gaze on the
terrible scene. The dawn was breaking bleak and gray over a wild waste of
tumbling water. They could faintly see the beach-line of Asparagus Island,
but they could distinctly hear the thunder of the surf upon it; and as the
day grew stronger they made out that they had dragged fully half a mile
during the night.

The rest of the fleet had likewise dragged. The _Reindeer_ was almost
abreast of them;