id nothing. The men had been pulling fully an hour against the
current, and yet, as I looked at the reef, I could not help
acknowledging to myself that the vessel was nearer than at first. The
swell, at the same time, began to increase, and we could now hear the
roar of the breakers as they dashed against the wall of coral which
interrupted their progress.

"We'll send the other boat ahead, Platt," said my brother.

"Ay, ay, sir," answered Tom; and he and I with the two remaining men
lowered her, and, jumping in, joined our shipmates in towing, leaving
only my brother with Dick and Nat to take charge of the vessel. He now
ordered us to pull across the current, in the hopes of thus in time
getting out of it. We all pulled away with a will, making the schooner
move faster through the water than she had done for many hours.

"We must manage it somehow," shouted Tom to the other boats. "Give way,
lads--give way. We shall soon be clear of the current."

It was of little use urging the men, as they were already straining
every nerve. My brother walked the deck, stopping every now and then,
casting his eyes frequently around the horizon in the hopes of
discovering signs of a coming breeze. Then he would look towards the
reef, but there was nothing encouraging to be seen in that direction.
Still Tom shouted every now and then, "Pull away, lads--pull away!"

"We are pulling, mate, as hard as we can," answered the men from the
other boats.

If we had any doubts of it before it was now clear enough that an
unusually strong current was setting us towards the reef, even faster
than we could pull away from it. Whenever the men showed any signs of
relaxing their efforts Harry came to the bows and cheered them on,
leaving Dick to steer. It was somewhat trying work for all of us, for
the hot sun was beating down on our heads, the perspiration streaming
from every pore; but our lives depended upon our exertions, and pull we
must to the last moment. I heard some of the men talking of going
alongside the schooner and asking the captain for a glass of grog
apiece.

"Don't be thinking of that, lads," cried Tom. "It would be so much
precious time lost. We can pull well enough if we have the will. The
grog would not give you any real strength, and you'd be as thirsty as
before a few minutes afterwards. Can't one of you strike up a tune, and
see if that don't help us along."

There was no response to this appeal, so Tom