Once again about, and the _Ghost_ headed out to open sea.
She had now caught the bosom-breathing of the ocean, and was herself
a-breath with the rhythm of it as she smoothly mounted and slipped down
each broad-backed wave. The day had been dull and overcast, but the sun
now burst through the clouds, a welcome omen, and shone upon the curving
beach where together we had dared the lords of the harem and slain the
holluschickie. All Endeavour Island brightened under the sun. Even the
grim south-western promontory showed less grim, and here and there, where
the sea-spray wet its surface, high lights flashed and dazzled in the
sun.

"I shall always think of it with pride," I said to Maud.

She threw her head back in a queenly way but said, "Dear, dear Endeavour
Island! I shall always love it."

"And I," I said quickly.

It seemed our eyes must meet in a great understanding, and yet, loath,
they struggled away and did not meet.

There was a silence I might almost call awkward, till I broke it, saying:

"See those black clouds to windward. You remember, I told you last night
the barometer was falling."

"And the sun is gone," she said, her eyes still fixed upon our island,
where we had proved our mastery over matter and attained to the truest
comradeship that may fall to man and woman.

"And it's slack off the sheets for Japan!" I cried gaily. "A fair wind
and a flowing sheet, you know, or however it goes."

Lashing the wheel I ran forward, eased the fore and mainsheets, took in
on the boom-tackles and trimmed everything for the quartering breeze
which was ours. It was a fresh breeze, very fresh, but I resolved to run
as long as I dared. Unfortunately, when running free, it is impossible
to lash the wheel, so I faced an all-night watch. Maud insisted on
relieving me, but proved that she had not the strength to steer in a
heavy sea, even if she could have gained the wisdom on such short notice.
She appeared quite heart-broken over the discovery, but recovered her
spirits by coiling down tackles and halyards and all stray ropes. Then
there were meals to be cooked in the galley, beds to make, Wolf Larsen to
be attended upon, and she finished the day with a grand house-cleaning
attack upon the cabin and steerage.

All night I steered, without relief, the wind slowly and steadily
increasing and the sea rising. At five in the morning Maud brought me
hot coffee and biscuits she had baked, and at seven a substa