waves. Mahomed planted his foot against the seat before him, and,
glancing at him, I saw his brown toes spread out like a hand with the
weight he put upon them as he took the strain of the tiller. She came
round a bit, but not enough. I roared to Job to back water, whilst I
dragged and laboured at my oar. She answered now, and none too soon.

Heavens, we were in them! And then followed a couple of minutes of
heart-breaking excitement such as I cannot hope to describe. All that I
remember is a shrieking sea of foam, out of which the billows rose here,
there, and everywhere like avenging ghosts from their ocean grave. Once
we were turned right round, but either by chance, or through Mahomed's
skilful steering, the boat's head came straight again before a breaker
filled us. One more--a monster. We were through it or over it--more
through than over--and then, with a wild yell of exultation from the
Arab, we shot out into the comparative smooth water of the mouth of sea
between the teeth-like lines of gnashing waves.

But we were nearly full of water again, and not more than half a mile
ahead was the second line of breakers. Again we set to and bailed
furiously. Fortunately the storm had now quite gone by, and the moon
shone brightly, revealing a rocky headland running half a mile or more
out into the sea, of which this second line of breakers appeared to be
a continuation. At any rate, they boiled around its foot. Probably the
ridge that formed the headland ran out into the ocean, only at a lower
level, and made the reef also. This headland was terminated by a curious
peak that seemed not to be more than a mile away from us. Just as we got
the boat pretty clear for the second time, Leo, to my immense relief,
opened his eyes and remarked that the clothes had tumbled off the bed,
and that he supposed it was time to get up for chapel. I told him to
shut his eyes and keep quiet, which he did without in the slightest