ad a good look at it, and I had hung it
round my neck again, we had got full into the breeze of the outer
bay. My father, who held the tiller, managed to get to the weather
side of the St. Magnus, and when we reached the Ness point, where a
number of people had already gathered from the town to watch the
expected race, the two boats were bow to bow.

Beyond the point we brought up at the same moment as the St.
Magnus, and steered westward on the starboard tack, with a
southwesterly breeze swelling our sails. The Curlew now bent over
to leeward, our bow plunging into the waves, dashing them aside and
sending the foam surging in a long track far astern. With a strong
outrunning current in our favour we sped through the channel
between Stromness and Graemsay, the St. Magnus being now to
windward of us and several lengths behind.

Tom Kinlay was sitting on the weather gunwale near his father, who
was steering. It was easy to see that they were all suppressing
their excitement in the race; yet their craft was brought bravely
along in our track, and there was still a chance of their reaching
the ship before us. The result depended upon good steering, and
upon the readiness of each crew to lower sail at the right moment.

From watching the St. Magnus I turned my attention to the
approaching barque, which, by her green-painted hull, I soon enough
recognized as the Lydia. She was struggling slowly onward against
the rapids of Hoy Sound, with the wind on her starboard quarter,
and as we got nearer her I could see the extent of the damage she
had sustained in the late storm. She had lost her fore and main
topgallant masts, and her port bulwarks were stove in. The quarter
boat was missing and her jolly boat was gone.

She came along at the rate of about two knots, under close-reefed
topsails, storm trysails, and spanker. We could hear Captain
Gordon's voice directing the working of the ship, and once I saw
him on the quarterdeck, leaning over the rail to watch us. His head
was bandaged as if from some accident. On the forecastle deck the
mate and some men stood watching our approach, with ropes ready to
throw out to us.

I became inwardly excited when the moment came that was to
determine everything; and even my father was a little pale as he
steered us steadily towards the lee side of the Lydia. We came
within a hundred yards of her when he cried out, "Lower away!" and
I heard the same order given on the St. Magnus.

Down