64 I N A G U A 



the island and a grove of palms on the shore. 



On we drifted, ever so slowly then, for it was dead calm. 

 The second flash showed us but three wave crests away from 

 the coral, then two, and finally just when it seemed that we 

 were about to crash a tiny opening appeared through which 

 the foam rushed in broken torrent. To each side was a fearful 

 welter and in the fitful light we could see the broad fans of 

 coral protruding through the surf. We poised high in the air 

 and then gently, accompanied by little windrows of froth, 

 slipped into the lagoon and safety. 



"Phew," sighed Coleman, as we slid weakly on the deck, 

 "what a night! " 



Momentarily, we expected the storm to break but seemingly 

 disappointed at our escape, the clouds dispersed. Presently the 

 moon shone through. But the evening's adventures were not 

 yet over for just as we were congratulating ourselves on the 

 way the weather turned out we ran hard on a sandbar and there 

 stuck fast. We pushed and pulled, heaved and swore but that 

 was all the good it did. Daxon sighed wearily, muttered some- 

 thing about waiting for the tide to rise and then sat down on 

 the deck. He was soon asleep, his limp head rolling back and 

 forth with the slight rocking of the boat. The relatives fol- 

 lowed suit, slumping on the timbers, and a chorus of snores 

 soon echoed across the rippling lagoon. 



"I guess we might as well get some, too," I remarked to Cole- 

 man and sHd down in the hold out of the reach of the wind. 



The sound of voices and a trampling on the deck roused me 

 from slumber. On the other side of the hatch I could hear Cole- 

 man twitching on the bed of canvas that he had made from the 

 crumpled sails. I felt uncomfortably warm and perspiration 

 oozed from every pore. It was pitch dark and from down along 

 the bilge came the smell of long dead fish and foul water. I 

 nudged Coleman, heard him grunt something about "Idiots 



