DARING PILOT. 289 



allow the vessel to be navigated by his orders. 

 The Turk, however, being well aware that he him- 

 self knew nothing at all about the matter, saw at 

 last it would be better to trust to his pilot, who 

 might know something^ however little that might 

 be, and accordingly, with a great deal of blustering 



and swaggering, he told G to take the ship 



in, but swore by Mahomet, that the instant she 

 touched the ground, he would shoot the unfortu- 

 nate pilot through the head with a pistol which 

 he drew from his belt, and held in his hand. 



It often happens that in proportion as an af- 

 fair assumes a more desperate aspect, energies, 

 until that moment latent and unknown, arise al- 

 most spontaneously to meet the occasion. Hence, 

 we see that an utter extinction of all hope or 

 probability of escape from an impending danger 

 is the signal for such coolness, calmness, and 

 decision on the part of those threatened by it, 

 that, in a manner perfectly incomprehensible, 

 they escape by means of some vigorous exertion, 

 some desperate, yet calm and decisive act, of which 

 in cooler moments they would not have thought 

 themselves capable. 



This was the case with G in the story I am 



o 



