d.
So the proposed attempt of Boyton was looked upon as certain death.

After deciding to try the passage, Paul engaged a felucca, owned by the
most expert spearsman in those waters, to accompany him, and another
for the invited guests and newspaper men. These boats were ready on the
morning of March 16th, 1877, and sailed from Messina for the coast of
Calabria, from which point the start was to be made. They arrived there
at seven o'clock the same morning. The party consisted of several
prominent men of Messina, among them the editor of the Gazette.
Everybody was armed for sharks, the editor being especially well
equipped for slaughtering these wolves of the deep and very bold in his
assertions of how he would protect Boyton from their attacks.

At a small, scattered village on the Calabrian side, the felucca
containing Paul and his guests landed. The dress and those on board were
put ashore and preparations were at once made for the start. A sirocco
was blowing at the time, setting a heavy tide in the direction of
the whirlpool of Scylla, or the Faro, as they call it there. The sea
grew rougher while the little party stood on the beach and as Boyton
was dressing the most anxious one in the group was the enthusiastic
editor. His nerve was slowly oozing out at his finger ends.

The inhabitants of the village began crowding down to the shore and when
they learned what was going on, an old white-haired man approached the
voyager, and in the most earnest manner, addressed him in the Calabrian
dialect: "Don't go, don't go," he cried. "I had a boy such as you, who
was lost out there and the devils of the straits will get you."

The appeal of the old man was interpreted to Paul and was the only
occurrence of the day that had a tendency to upset his nerves.

The expert spearsman had arranged a place on his boat where he could
stand and harpoon any sharks that might attack the adventurer, while
the guests on the other craft thought they were pretty well fixed to
keep the monsters off. Everything being ready, the felucca backed in
from her cable to get the guests aboard. All were safely on except the
bold editor. He was pale and his knees were knocking together. His
courage was gone and he persisted in remaining on shore, until one of
the sailors lifted him bodily aboard.

The sea was very rough when Boyton stepped into it. He struck away as
fast as he could and both feluccas kept a sharp lookout.