'Heaven! are you mad? Is all our security to be the grant by Heaven of a miracle?' 'First, sir, I will tell you that we are like enough to be unharried; for it cannot be in mortal reckoning that we should dare here, since this place is a death-trap to be given wide berth in winter gales.' 'The very place to seek men fugitive and desperate.' 'By your leave, sir, I came into this venture as a volunteer, and not from desperation. 'The special danger of these coasts you do not know. Our winter storms, sudden and fierce, strike here at their hardest. Learned men say that high ranges leagues off over sea make a funnel to set them here. We fishers have another way of thinking--no matter what. But 'tis wide known that there is no record of any boat caught in a winter burst within sound of these breakers living to boast of it.' 'Is, then, the favour of Heaven also to be engaged to preserve from storm as from chase?' Philip, tongue and throat, was dry, and he drank again deeply. 'You tell me of risks that I cannot bring myself to believe a volunteer would engage; not though, as I hear, he doubled his price.' Wine and resentment mounted a flush. 'You do ill, sir, to fleer at a man who for your service risks freedom, life--ay, more than life--but that you would not believe; for you laughed, under night even, you laughed!' 'By heavens! every look of a death-trap comes out on your own showing; and except you show me the key to unlock it, I myself will hazard the forcing; I and your mate yonder, who well I see is not in your confidence, whose face tells that he has no liking for you and your doings.' Christian turned away and made no response. 'For God's sake, sir,' whispered Philip then, 'have patience, or you ruin all!' 'Let be that wine and speak out.' 'Drink you, Christian.' He refused. Philip fetched breath for a plunge. 'Bear me out, Christian, when I say that one there is who can do what none other living can--and will.' Christian waited with a face of stone. 'Who can carry us safe through the reefs. Christian--this--you promised--you must undertake this. 'Look you, we may never be driven to it; a far ship could not easily make us out against this broken background. 'Christian, not another soul knows or shall know. Sir, you can tell him that the League had not even a guess. I stood out for that. 'You asked nothing. Had you but cared to ask, I would have told you earlier. You may have guessed; you cannot deny you are able. Sir, he is; and when I asked his services, he promised--without reserve he promised. 'Christian, you never have failed of your word; all your life that has been your pride, and so have I relied on it--a man's life relies on it.' Christian kept an averted face, and stared down into the water. 'You can--I know you can!' 'I can.' 'And you will--to your promise I trusted.' 'I promised, and I will.'