A cool, refreshing breeze had been blowing up to his time, but the
wind now developed a sudden violence, and the sea was lashed into
huge waves that quickly swamped nearly every one of the little
cockle-shell boats. Fortunately, they could not sink, and as I
watched I saw that the Malays who were thus thrown into the water
clung to the sides of the little boats, and made the best of their
way to the big craft in charge of Captain Jensen. Every moment the
sea became more and more turbulent as the wind quickened to a
hurricane. When all the Malays had scrambled into the whale-boat,
they attempted to pull back to the ship, but I could see that they
were unable to make the slightest headway against the tremendous
sea that was running, although they worked frantically at the oars.

On the contrary, I was horrified to see that they were gradually
drifting AWAY FROM ME, and being carried farther and farther out
across the illimitable sea. I was nearly distracted at the sight,
and I racked my brains to devise some means of helping them, but
could think of nothing feasible. I thought first of all of trying
to slip the anchor and let the ship drift in their direction, but I
was by no means sure that she would actually do this. Besides, I
reflected, she might strike on some of the insidious coral reefs
that abound in those fair but terribly dangerous seas. So I came
to the conclusion that it would be better to let her remain where
she was--at least, for the time being. Moreover, I felt sure that
the captain, with his knowledge of those regions, would know of
some island or convenient sandbank, perhaps not very far distant,
on which he might run his boat for safety until the storm had
passed.

The boats receded farther and farther from view, until, about nine