The boy was so nearly paralyzed by fright that when the raft settled to a level again, he could not get back to the center until he was pulled in by one of the men. “It won’t do to take such chances as that,” said Captain Foster. “Mr. Wright, knot together the pieces of rope that we used in the sail. Then tie one end to one edge of the raft, bring it across the center and tie to the other side. We’ll all take hold of that, and we shan’t be washed off.” The mate found there was enough rope to extend across the raft and pass back again, making it double. He also fastened the middle to the raft, and had a secure anchor. “Now, boys,” said Captain Foster, “grasp the line, and don’t let go for an instant.” Sidney’s narrow escape was all the warning that was necessary to make the boys, even Raymond, obey implicitly. The men did not need any warning for caution, for their experience of the ocean was sufficient to show them their danger. So all the members of the party gripped the rope with the tenacity of fear. The supporting rope had not been provided any too soon, for the gale increased in intensity. Indeed the strength of the unfortunates who clung to the rope was sometimes taxed to the utmost to enable them to maintain their hold. Without that support they would certainly have been washed away. The raft would sometimes be dashed up on the crest of a great wave with such force that it seemed in imminent danger of being thrown over backward. Then it would be hurled down into the trough of the sea, and be threatened with destruction by the waves that reared on either side. As the wind increased, too, the clouds became more dense, and began to discharge dashes of biting rain. The rain itself did not make so much difference, however, for the shipwrecked people were already as wet, from the drenching spray, as they could be. But with the rain came bitter cold, and that was heart-breaking. It had been difficult enough for the castaways to keep hold of the rope with the pitching and rolling of the raft. That difficulty was increased many fold by the cold that numbed their hands and sapped their strength. Even the sailors, with the hardihood acquired during years of hardships, found the situation a difficult one. And the boys, despite their severe schooling in endurance, found it nearly insupportable. Raymond’s hands became absolutely devoid of feeling, and his whole body was almost without sensation. His grasp on the rope held more because his fingers were stiffening in their clutch than because of any volition on his part. He hung, almost insensible, from the rope. Finally, Captain Foster noticed the boy’s condition, and cast about for a way to help him. He thought he might hold Raymond, himself, with one arm, but he hardly dared trust the weight of both of them to the insecure support of one hand. If there were only a line to tie him fast!