ore!"

As he spoke, the whole sky seemed to darken in a moment all round them;
the sea took on the appearance of dull metal and became of a livid hue.
Away on the north-western horizon the sky was black as ink, and below
that, between sky and wave, was a line of white extending athwart the
horizon, showing the forefront of the advancing gale.

"Pull, lads, pull!" again shouted Roger, raising his voice above the
deep moaning sound that filled the air everywhere about them. "Unless
we can contrive to reach the shore before that line of white, you know
what our fate will be. We shall have to wait until the gale blows over
before we can return to the ships, if indeed they survive it."

The seamen saw that what Roger said was only too true, and pulled for
dear life; but the boat was a heavy one, her full complement of oarsmen
being eight. Now, however, she had only two men pulling; they therefore
made painfully slow progress, and the white line of water seemed to be
overtaking them at a speed that filled them with despair.

Meanwhile Roger noticed that the solitary watcher on the beach had now
left the water, and was lying at full-length on the sand as though
overcome by his exertions, weakened as perhaps he was by long exposure
and privation.

The lad felt extremely anxious as to the fate of the ships, and
frequently turned his head to snatch a glimpse of what was happening
behind him. He was able to see, during his brief observations, that
boats had been lowered from the stranded ship, and from her consorts,
and were plying at their utmost speed between the wreck and the other
vessels of the squadron. It was evident to Roger that the captain,
observing the extraordinarily rapid approach of the gale, and foreseeing
that, unless a miracle were to take place, the stranded ship must be
lost, had not delayed a moment, but was transferring her crew to the
other ships as fast as he possibly could. Roger fervently prayed that
this operation of transfer might be completed ere the storm burst upon
them; but he was very doubtful, for that fatal white line of foam was
driving down upon the fleet with appalling rapidity.

But he could not relax his attention from the matter that he himself had
in hand. He could not watch what was going on behind him and also steer
the boat; so he set his teeth and gripped the tiller hard, looking
straight ahead of him in search of the best and safest spot on which to
beach his boat, for th