rising, flaky clouds convinced him even in that instantaneous
glance that the brewing storm offered them little chance for their
lives.

Far away to leeward, not less than four miles distant, the loom of the
land was only just visible. Well he realized that it would be many
long hours before the boat, with her masts and sails still fast in,
could drive near enough to enable them to make a landing. For, like
most fishermen in these icy waters, none of them knew how to swim.
Moreover, he soon found that the anchor, fast to the warp, had fallen
out, and would certainly sooner or later touch bottom--thus robbing
them of their one and only chance of escape by preventing the boat
from drifting into shallow water.

So cold was it already that it appeared as if a few moments at most
must chill the life out of at least the younger children.

"Hold Willie on, Ned, and ask God to bring us all safe home," said
John. He told me that he felt somehow as if their prayers were more
likely to be heard than his own. He then crawled forward, having made
up his mind to try and cut the anchor free, and to get the rope to tie
round the boat and hold on the children. His determination was
fortified by his anxiety; but it was a forlorn hope, for it meant
lowering himself right into the water, and he knew well enough that he
could not swim a yard. Then it was done, and he was once more clinging
to the keel with the rope in his hand. It was not difficult to get a
bight round the boat, and soon he had the children firmly lashed on
and the boat was again making fair progress before the wind to the
opposite shore.

Hours seemed to go by. The children were sleepy. Apparently they no
longer felt the cold, and the average man might have thought that it
was a miracle on their behalf, for God knows they had prayed hard
enough for one. But John recognized only too well that it was that
merciful harbinger of the last long sleep, which had overtaken more
than one of his best friends, when adrift in the storms of winter. And
still the age-long journey dragged hopelessly on.

At last the awful suspense, a thousand times more cruel for their
being unable to do anything, was broken by even the welcome incident
of a new danger. Breakers were visible in the direct course of their
drift. "Maybe she'll turn over, Jim," whispered the skipper. "I reckon
we must loose t' children for fear she does." This being effected as
promptly as their condition allowed, To