"Shut up, you fellows," cried I, who was notoriously a bad sailor, and easily disturbed by a rough sea; "perhaps we shall all--" "I say," called out Hall from the boat, where he was busy tying up a reef in our sail, "I wish you fellows would lend a hand here, instead of standing and chaffing there." We obeyed with alacrity, and very soon had our boat ready for starting. "Now, Adams and Hutton, take the oars, will you? and pull her out of this creek: we had better not hoist our sail till we are clear of these rocks." As we emerged from our little harbour the boat "lumped" heavily over the waves that broke upon the rocks, and we had a hard pull to get her clear of these and turn her with her stern to Shargle. "Now stand by," shouted Hall. We shipped our oars, and in a moment the sail, shortened by one reef, was hauled up, and the boat began to scud swiftly forward. "You'll have to sit right over, you two," said Hall to Hutton and me, "to keep her trim. Look sharp about it!" As he spoke a gust took the sail, and caused the boat to heel over far on to her side. She righted herself in an instant, however, and on we went, flying through the water. "How do you feel, Adams?" called out Charlie mischievously, from his end of the boat. "Pleasant motion, isn't it?" put in Hutton, laughing. "Look here, you fellows," said Hall abruptly, "stop fooling now, and look after the boat." "Why, what's the row?" said Hutton, struck with his unusually serious tone. "It's all right, isn't it?" "It's all right," said Hall curtly, "if you'll only attend to the sailing." Our merriment died away on our lips, for it was plain to be seen Hall was in no jesting humour. Then several things struck us which we had not previously noticed. One was that the wind had shifted farther north, and was blowing hard right into the bay, gathering strength every minute. Hall, we noticed, was sailing as close as possible up to it, thus making our course far wider than that which had brought us in the morning. "Why are you steering out like that?" I ventured to ask. "Because if I didn't-- Look out!" he exclaimed, as a sudden gust caught the boat, making her stagger and reel like a drunken man. In an instant he had released the sheet rope, and the sail flapped with a tremendous noise about the mast. It was but an instant, however, and then we saw him coolly tighten the cord again, and put back the helm to its former course. After that I did not care to repeat my question.