a stroke.

The Adventurer paused. Here without madness was a guilty wretch cowed at
detection, abject as a wolf in a pit!

'We would not your blood on our hands, yet to no oath of yours may our
lives trust.'

'I would not offer it.'

'Only as the wild beast you showed yourself, look to be kept bound.'

Such putting to shame was simply just, but oh! hard.

'I may not withstand you,' he said, hardly, steadily, 'but ah, sir! ah,
Philip, suffer me! If this night I am to go to my account, I do greatly
require that, through my default, the lives of two men may not drop in
the loaded scale.'

To them the plea rang strained and false.

'We choose our risk; against treachery of the skies will we rather
provide.'

He surrendered his hands to the Adventurer. Philip took the helm, but
the miserable culprit winced to hear how the strain brought from him a
sob of distress. The old man did his best under direction for shortening
sail; but while yet this was doing, again the ominous roar sounded and
grew, and a squall caught them unready.

The light boat quivered in every plank as she reared against the heavy
charge; sheets of water flew over, blinding. Christian heard from the
helm a shriek of pain and despair, and at that, frantic, such an access
of strength swelled in him, that suddenly his bonds parted like thread,
and he caught the restive tiller out of Philip's incompetent hold. There
could be no further question of him whom by a miracle Heaven had thus
graced in strength for their service. And for their lives they needed to
bale. Christian blessed the cruel, fierce elements.

Far ahead heaved lights, revealed on the blown seas: far, so far. Right
in their teeth drove the promised gale, with intermittent bursts of sleet
and hail. Upon bodies brine-wet the icy wind cut like a knife. Twin
lights sprang, low down, giving the wanted signal; bore down, then stood
away: the appointed ship followed after her consorts, not daring, with a
gale behind, to near the cruelest coast known.

Struggling on under a mere stitch of canvas, the wind resenting even
that, clutching it, threatening to tear out the mast, they went reeling
and shuddering on to their desperate fortune. For hours the long
endeavour lasted, with gain on the double lights by such slow degrees as
mocked at final achievement.

Except that his hands were like to freeze out of use Christian cared
marvellously little for outer miseries. To him all too short was th