Borelands he must do it at once! He must make that half mile
before Silvertip left the beach. . . . He would do it!

Even as he decided he had torn open the front of his shirt. Swiftly he
stripped to his underwear and the next instant had dived over the side
of the schooner.

He came sputtering to the surface. Contrary to expectations the water
was much warmer than that at Katleean. With a feeling of relief he
struck out for the beach.

He had not gone thirty yards when he became aware that a strong current
was carrying him toward the south end of the Island. Desperately he
put every ounce of his strength into his shoreward strokes. The
buffeting of the running chop sea began to tire him. He was becoming
winded. He was losing his sense of direction. After ten minutes he
realized, with alarm, that he could never make a landing, near
Boreland's outfit. . . . Five minutes more and he knew he would be
lucky if he made any landing at all. . . . The current was sweeping
him on toward the cliffs at the south end of Kon Klayu where black
reefs bared their fangs in a welter of foam. Even in the smother of
the chop he was aware of the increased roaring of the breakers.

He made one mighty, but ineffectual effort to reach the shore, then
with a feeling of baffled despair he turned his back on the breaking
surf and began to fight his way, inch by inch, back to the safety of
the _Hoonah_.

CHAPTER XII

THE LANDING

On the beach the last sack and box had been carried up to a place
selected by Silvertip as being above the high-tide line.

"Well, old man, I think we'll take a stroll around and see where that
cabin is located," said Boreland cheerfully. "It can't be far from the
anchorage here."

"No, no. Youst a little vay. Youst a little vay," hurriedly answered
Silvertip as he waved an indefinite hand across the dunes. "You'll
find it so easy you don't need me. Ay tank she makes a big vind in the
sout'vest, so Ay go before a heavy sea coomes."

They talked about the island anchorage for a few minutes. Boreland
insisted that the breeze would die down at sunset as is often the case
during good weather, but Silvertip persisted in his determination to
get away from the Island at once.

Finally Shane turned to Kayak Bill with a somewhat contemptuous laugh.

"What do you say, Kayak? This fellow seems scared to death to stay
here any longer. I reckon we can get along without him now, don't you?"