spended, so that talking was already out of the question unless one
used some such contrivance for aiding the voice.

"George, better fall in just ahead of us, where we can get a line to
you in case you have engine trouble. Two sharp blasts will tell us
that you want help. Herb, try and keep as close to me as is safe! We
must stick it out together, hear?"

Both of the other skippers waved their hands to indicate that they
understood, and doubtless George was given fresh courage to find how
calm and confident Jack seemed to face the approaching difficulty.

The land was now less than two miles away, and a faint hope had begun
to stir in Jack's heart that there might be enough delay to allow their
reaching a point of safety.

This, however, was dissipated when he suddenly discovered a white line
that looked as though a giant piece of chalk had been drawn along the
water. The squall had pounced down upon Pamlico, and was rushing
toward them at the rate of at least a mile a minute.

"Hold hard!" shouted Jack through his megaphone.

Then he devoted himself to engineering the _Tramp's_ destiny. Jimmy
knew what was expected of him in the emergency, and was nerved to
acquit himself with credit. While his skipper showed himself to be so
cool and self-possessed Jimmy could not think of allowing the spasm of
fear that passed over him to hold sway. What if that line of foamy
water was increasing in size as it rushed at them, until it assumed
dreadful proportions? The _Tramp_ had passed safely through other
storms, and with Jack at the wheel all must be serene.

So Jimmy crouched there at the motor, ready to do whatever he was
told--crouched and gaped and shivered, yet with compressed teeth was
resolved to stand by his shipmate to the end.

Then the foam-crested water struck the flotilla with a crash. First
the narrow _Wireless_ was seen to surge forward, rear up at a
frightfully perpendicular angle, until it almost seemed as though the
frail craft must be hurled completely over; and then swoop furiously
down into the basin that followed the comber.

George held her firmly in line, and somehow managed to keep her head
straight into the shrieking wind, though he frankly confessed that his
heart was in his mouth when she took that header.

But almost at the same instant the other boats tried the same frightful
plunge, and they, too, survived. Jack gave a sigh of relief when he
saw that all of them had passed throu