"It would be calm enough to anchor."
"We can but try it," I answered.
And with that we luffed a little, getting the island on our port
bow, but it was of no use. The unhandy canvas set us to leeward,
and, moreover, the water gained quickly as the strained upper
planking was hove down with the new list of the ship. I went to the
open space amidships whence we baled, and watched for a few
minutes, and saw that we could do nothing but run, unless the other
tack would serve us.
That we tried, but now we were too far from the eastern end of the
island, and it was hopeless to try to escape from the breakers.
"Stem on it must be, and take the chances," said my comrade. "It
does seem as if the water were deep up to the beach, and we may not
fare so badly. Well, there is one good point about these gifts
which Gerda has given us, and that is that we shall have withal to
buy hospitality. There are folk on the island."
"I saw a wisp of smoke a while ago," I said; "but I took it that it
was on the mainland. There is no sign of a house."
"That may lie in some hollow out of the wind," he said. "I am sure
of its being here."
Then I said that if we were to get on shore safely, which by the
look of the beach as we lifted on the waves seemed possible, it
might be better that we were armed.
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