ds. The sea grew
higher at every moment. Flecks of white gleamed here and there on all
sides. The boat was dancing like a cork.

Mab sat in growing terror with her eyes on the roaring turmoil. The
minutes crawled by like hours. At length she turned to look shorewards
for the boats. A driving, blinding mist of rain beat into her face. She
saw naught besides. And suddenly her courage failed her. "Big Bear!"
she cried wildly. "What shall we do? I'm so frightened."

He heard her through the storm. He was still sitting on the middle thwart
facing her. He moved, bending towards her.

"Come to me here!" he said. "It will be safer."

She crept to his outstretched arm with a sense of going into refuge.
Merefleet helped her over the thwart. There was a torn piece of sailcloth
in the bottom of the boat. He drew her down on to it and turned round
himself so that his back was towards the storm. He was thus able to
shelter her in some measure from the full fury of the blast.

Mab shrank against him, terrified and quivering.

"It looks so angry," she said.

"Don't be afraid!" said Merefleet.

And he put his arms about her and held her close to him as if she had
been a little child afraid of the dark.

CHAPTER XII

No pleasure-boats or craft of any sort put out from Silverstrand that
afternoon. The wind eventually blew away the clouds and revealed a
foaming, sunlit sea. But the waves were immense at high tide, and the
fishermen muttered among themselves and stared darkly out over the mighty
breakers.

It was known among them that a boat had put out to sea in the morning and
had not returned before the rising of the gale. There were heavy hearts
in Old Silverstrand that day. But to launch another boat to search for
the missing one was out of the question. The great seas that came hurling
into the little fishing-harbour were sufficient proof of that, even to
the most inexperienced landsman.

Seton, learning the news when lunch was half over, rushed off to New
Silverstrand in the hope that the boat might have been driven in that
direction by the strong current. But nothing had been seen from there of
the missing craft, and though he traversed the entire distance by way of
the cliffs, he saw nothing throughout his walk but flecks of foam here
and there over the tumbling expanse of water.

He returned an hour or so later, reaching Old Silverstrand by five. But
nothing had been heard there. The fishermen shook their h