hen I found that Ella had contrived to keep some
coffee hot for us, as well as a supply of the cakes or rolls which she
was so fond of making; and the dear girl, pale and terrified as she was,
took her place at the table, attending to my wants with true womanly
assiduity and self-forgetfulness.

She earnestly entreated to be allowed to accompany me on deck, and share
whatever danger there might be, but this of course I would not allow,
asserting, a little ungallantly, I fear, that she could do no good
there, and would only be in the way. I gave her permission, however, to
stand in the companion-way and look abroad upon the strange scene,
providing that she wrapped herself well up, and put on my macintosh to
prevent becoming wet through, and this concession she gratefully
accepted.

Hour after hour we flew before the fury of the gale, my anxiety
increasing with every mile that we travelled, for my chart told me that
a group of islands lay directly ahead as we were then steering; and I
knew, by my reckoning, that we must be drawing fearfully close to them,
if indeed we were not already actually among them.

The wind had moderated, to a certain extent, from its first terrific
violence; but it was still blowing far too hard to permit of our
rounding-to, and making use of our floating-anchor; any attempt to do so
must inevitably have resulted in the craft "turning the turtle" with us,
and I had, therefore, no choice but to keep scudding.

The sea began to get up, too, now, and followed us in a very menacing
manner, the huge foaming crests rearing high above our taffrail, and
threatening every moment to fall on board. So great did this danger at
last become, that I reluctantly directed Bob to go forward and get the
foresail (which I had close-reefed before it was stowed) upon the craft.

This, in such weather, and with only one hand to do the work, promised
to be a task of no ordinary difficulty; but Bob was the man to do it if
any one could, and he set about the work with all the care and skill of
which he was master.

I sheered the cutter about one point to port to keep the sail steadily
drawing; and, the sheets being carefully trimmed, the old fellow took
the halliards in one hand, knelt down upon the sail, and cast off the
stops by which it was secured. He then steadied the halliards taut,
sprang to the weather-side of the deck, and swayed away, catching a turn
under a belaying-pin the moment the sail was up.