a most stormy and dirty-looking night. "I don't
half like the appearance of the weather; but, I do not wish to ware off
the land, with that fellow ahead and nearer to the danger, if there be
any, than we are ourselves."

Here, Roswell Gardiner manifested a weakness that lies at the bottom of
half our blunders. He did not like to be outdone by a competitor, even in
his mistakes. If the Sea Lion of Holmes' Hole could hold on, on that tack,
why might not the Sea Lion of Oyster Pond do the same? It is by this
process of human vanity that men sustain each other in wrong, and folly
obtains the sanction of numbers, if not that of reason. In this practice
we see one of the causes of the masses becoming misled, and this seldom
happens without their becoming oppressive.

Roswell Gardiner, however, did not neglect the lead. The schooner had
merely to luff close to the wind, and they were in a proper state to
sound. This they did twice, during that night, and with a very sensible
diminution in the depth of the water. It was evident that the schooner was
getting pretty close in on the coast, the wind coming out nearly at south,
in squalls. Her commander held on, for he thought there were indications
of a change, and he still did not like to ware so long as his rival of the
Vineyard kept on the larboard tack. In this way, each encouraging the
other in recklessness, did these two craft run nearly into the lion's jaw,
as it might be; for, when the day re-appeared, the wind veered round to
the eastward, a little northerly, bringing the craft directly on a
lee-shore, blowing at the time so heavily as to render a foresail reefed
down to a mere rag, more canvass than the little vessels could well bear.
As the day returned, and the drizzle cleared off a little, land was seen
to leeward, stretching slightly to seaward, both ahead and astern! On
consulting his charts, and after getting a pretty good look at the coast
from aloft, Roswell Gardiner became satisfied that he was off Currituck,
which placed him near six degrees to the southward of his port of
departure, and about four to the westward. Our young man now deeply felt
that a foolish rivalry had led him into an error, and he regretted that he
had not wore the previous evening, when he might have had an offing that
would have enabled him to stand in either direction, clearing the land. As
things were, he was not by any means certain of the course he ought to
pursue.

Little did Gardin