y'll crush in her planks like a matchwood box. I can't bear,
to see it. It's horrible."

"I can't; but I must look," cried Drew, piteously.

"Yes, we must look and see the worst," groaned Oliver. Then stamping
his foot: "Why are we not there to help him?"

He ceased speaking, and stood leaning forward, with his eyes just above
the edge of the rock, gazing, fascinated by the scene before him. There
were the four vessels all clear in the brilliant sunshine, three of them
with their prows aimed straight at the fourth, which appeared to be
doomed as it glided along with its sails well filled, rushing now for
the opening before it, and the sea.

Closer and closer the canoes on either side, gliding along, with their
dark sides flecked with silver, and their black crews toiling on with
wondrous exactitude, on and on with increasing speed, while the third
canoe slackened, and suddenly was thrown right across the opening, as if
to block the gateway leading to freedom. On either side the huge
breakers glided in softly, and then, as they reached the reef; rose,
curled over, glistening with green, blue, and gold, as they hung for a
moment or two on high, and then crashed down into sparkling gems, from
which diamond dust seemed to rise in a soft vapoury cloud.

But still the collision did not come. The distance was greater than the
watchers had allowed for, and in those exciting moments time seemed to
be long-drawn-out.

"Now it's coming," cried Oliver, at last. "Good-bye, Rimmer, I liked
you, after all. Ah!"

His last ejaculation was quite a wild exciting cry, for the distance
between the prows of the two canoes, and the sides of the lugger grew
less and less, and then they seemed to strike and go right through her,
while imagination painted her crew struggling in the water, to be
pierced through and through by the spears of the savages.

"Hurrah!" shouted Drew suddenly, and a film of mist which had been
blurring Oliver Lane's eyes, suddenly cleared away, for though the two
prows had seemed to go through the lugger, there she was still racing on
for the gap, while the two canoes partly crossed behind her stern after
she had dashed between them, and their occupants were curving round to
go in chase, crossing and taking up their positions on either side
astern.

"Escaped for the moment, but it's all over," cried Oliver, "they'll take
her now, she can't get away. Look, what is Rimmer going to do? Oh, it
is madness