d shivered, there came a puff of wind that seemed to be
reflected from the tall cliff, the sail filled on the other side, the
boat careened over, and away he was rushing right merrily again.

It was none too soon, for, as the boat curved round, he was within forty
yards of some black rocks, whose weed-hung heads were just level with
the water.

But in those few minutes he had gained one splendid bit of experience in
the management of a boat, namely, that he had but to keep his head and
be cool, and then he could guide the craft wherever he pleased.

His spirits rose at this, as the little vessel glided rapidly on, now
toward the west, and he knew that when he was close to the far side of
the loch he had but to reverse the action with the rudder, and turn and
come back.

There was a beautiful breeze, and he span along, his face flushed, eyes
sparkling, and his heart beating fast with excitement. It was most
enjoyable. He could manage the boat,--so he thought,--but by degrees he
began to grasp the fact that if he kept on he would be going to and fro
over the same water, and he wanted to go due south, and not east and
west.

Then came back what Kenneth had said about tacking, and by degrees he
more fully mastered what he had to learn, namely, that he must use the
rudder, and force the boat to go south-east instead of east, and, in
returning, south-west instead of west, so as to cross and recross the
loch diagonally, or in a zigzag course, so that at each tack he would be
farther south.

To his great delight, he found, by keeping a firm hand upon the rudder,
he could do this, but it proved to be such slow work that he began to
experimentalise a little more, and, instead of sailing south-east and
south-west, he contrived to keep the boat's head so that he sailed
south-south-east and south-south-west. Later on, when with the two
lads, and Scoodrach at the tiller, he found that, had he known, he could
have made more southing each tack, for the little boat could sail
wonderfully close to the wind.

It was still slow work to one who was effervescing with eagerness to
reach Dunroe and obtain help, and over and over again, as the distance
seemed so long, Max shivered with dread lest he should have overshot the
mark and passed the place.

It seemed impossible that they could have gone so far. But no; there
was the castle which they had passed on the right, and there was the
other that they had glided by on the left--n