three or four more
twinkling red spots appeared, and Dick told the fireman to start the
engine half-speed. Steering for the beach, he followed the fringe of
surf, but kept abreast of the tug, which held to a course that would take
her round the end of the reef.

When the moon shone through he could see her plunge over the steep swell
and the white wash at the lighters' bows as they followed in her wake;
then as a cloud drove past, their dark hulls faded and left nothing but a
row of tossing lights. By and by the launch reached a bend in the
coastline and the breeze freshened and drew more ahead. The swell began
to break and showers of spray blew on board, while the sea got white
off-shore.

"We'll get it worse when we open up the Arenas bight," said Jake as he
glanced at the lurching tug. "It looks as if the skipper meant to give
the reef a wide berth. He's swinging off to starboard. Watch his smoke."

"You have done some yachting, then?"

"I have," said Jake. "I used to sail a shoal-draught sloop on Long Island
Sound. Anyway, if I'd been towing those coal-scows, I'd have edged in
near the beach, for the sake of smoother water, and wouldn't have headed
out until I saw the reef. It will be pretty wet on board the scows now,
and they'll have had to put a man on each to steer."

Dick nodded agreement and signed the fireman to turn on more steam as he
followed the tug outshore. The swell got steadily higher and broke in
angry surges. The launch plunged, and rattled as she swung her screw out
of the sea, but Dick kept his course abreast of the tug, which he could
only distinguish at intervals between the clouds of spray. Her masthead
lights reeled wildly to and fro, but the low red gleam from the barges
was hidden and he began to wonder why her captain was steering out so
far. It was prudent not to skirt the reef, but the fellow seemed to be
giving it unnecessary room. The lighters would tow badly through the
white, curling sea, and there was a risk of the hawsers breaking.
Besides, the engineer had complained that his machinery was not running
well.

A quarter of an hour later, a belt of foam between them and the land
marked the reef, and the wind brought off the roar of breaking surf. Soon
afterwards, the white surge faded, and only the tug's lights were left as
a long cloud-bank drove across the moon. Jake stood up, shielding his
eyes from the spray.

"He's broken his rope; the coal's adrift!" he cried.

Dick sa