A NIGHT'S PERIL. 133 



against the grain did it go with us to pull off our 

 jackets and set to work ; but there remained no 

 choice. We could not stay there all night, and if 

 we meant to fetch our port we must pull. Some of 

 them managed very well, as they were helped by 

 the man-of-war boats that had joined the cruise. 

 They got considerably ahead, and thus a division 

 was produced in our little flotilla. The "Wave was 

 amongst the sternmost, as for want of hands we had 

 been able to do but little ; and besides that, we were 

 in no working humour. One by one they all forged 

 ahead so far as to be out of sight at that time of 

 night; yet still not so far but that we occasionally 

 heard them hailing, or singing at their oars. 



As we had no fancy for a hard spell at pulling, we 

 took things coolly as they came. "We kept all sail 

 set to take advantage of any little breeze that might 

 come, and meanwhile waited as patiently as we could. 

 Some three-quarters of an hour probably passed in 

 this way, and then the face of the night began to 

 undergo a change. The clouds showed a disposition 

 to concentrate in a particular point over to landward, 

 and light cat's-paws to play upon the water. Soon 

 the breeze steadied a bit, and allowed us to lie on our 

 course ; and before long we were going through the 

 water at the rate of five knots. We held on thus, 

 till I knew that we must be coming close on to the 

 ugly reef that lies about three miles S.S.W. of Port St 

 Louis. The clouds had become blacker, and without 



