38 I N A G U A 



thing was that after going through so much, after Hving through 

 so much misery, so much cold and wetness, after all this, after 

 coming through a great winter storm we should meet disaster 

 on the very last stretch. And irony on top of irony; the wind 

 that was crashing the breakers on the reef was the usual trade 

 that we had expected to take us westward to San Salvador. 

 Too late now, too late to do us any good. The breeze that 

 should have carried us to safety was tearing our vessel apart 

 and spreading our gear on the bottom of the sea. 



But worst of all was the stinging fact that we had met disaster 

 in a near calm. There was no excuse of storm or heavy wind 

 or great waves. The sea was like a millpond when Nemesis 

 boarded us. As flat and calm as a sea can be, save for a long 

 gentle swell from out of the east. Treacherous ocean! When 

 wind and wave had failed she had still one trick up her figura- 

 tive sleeve, a trick that we should have known about. The cur- 

 rent—the smooth gliding current that, welling up from the 

 cool depths, glides its invisible intangible way to the surface. 

 The current had caught us unawares. 



In the cool long hours before the coming of new day it had 

 caught us, had slowly, gently pulled us from our way, had 

 quietly without a sound dragged us to the waiting coral. Then 

 in a sudden last surge the swells had caught us and dashed us 

 onto the cruel coral. And the sea, in a last boisterous shout of 

 glee, had sent the wind, the trade wind to bring the matter to 

 conclusion. The sea had won. 



After sighting land the evening before, reaction had set in 

 and we had fallen into a deep sleep. With the sinking of the 

 sun the wind had died, leaving us to wallow in a calming ocean. 

 For the first time since the ending of the storm we slept below, 

 utterly weary, confident that with hove-to sails we would wake 

 in the same spot in the morning. We would then approach the 

 land, establish our location and proceed to the nearest port. 



