Part 22 (2/2)

”Queer animals,” remarked Tom, ”belong half to the sea and half to the land.”

”Something like sailors,” remarked the shepherd.

”What's the Captain going to do with us?” asked Juarez in a low voice.

The shepherd's face took on a solemn expression, but before he could reply the Captain's voice roared.

”None of that, you'll find out soon enough. You can talk about the flory and fauny, with long shanks, but don't let me hear anything else out of you,” such was the Captain's ultimatum.

But soon matters grew so interesting that they lost all inclination for talking. When they got near the Southern end of the island they began to notice white caps to the Southward, dotting the darkness of the sea.

”You lads will have to hold tight now in a few minutes,” remarked Howell. ”Do you get seasick?”

”No,” replied the boys.

”Well, you will have a chance soon, and if it don't fetch you, nothing will.”

So far they had been rowing under the sheltering lee of the island whose huge rocky bulk had shouldered off the charge of the wind-driven seas.

Now before they had fairly rounded the island the character of the water began to change. The boat began to toss on the great rollers. Then as they cleared the land for good and were in the channel, a fresh gust of wind struck them, drenching the occupants of the boat with spray.

The Captain stood up in the bow of the boat and steadying himself took in the conditions of the sea and wind. There was nothing in his grim weatherbeaten face to show what he felt. The men at the oars now made hard work of it against the headwind and the running sea.

They would climb up a steep wave and then with a sickening slide, go down into the hollow, then with a l.u.s.ty pull the sailors would bring the heavy boat over the toppling crest of wave to find another rus.h.i.+ng to meet them. No rest, this was what made it such heart breaking work.

The early fog had come, covering the sea with gloom, and the waves did not go down perceptibly. At times, they s.h.i.+pped a good deal of water and Tom and Juarez were kept busy bailing out. After an hour's hard struggle the sailors were about all in and seemed hardly able to hold their own against the sea and wind. The Captain was quick to notice this.

”Can you row, lad?” he inquired of Juarez. Now the latter's experience had been confined to his work going down the Grand Canyon of Colorado, on the raft-boat that the Frontier Boys had built.

Even the old ocean itself could not show anything worse than some of the rapids that the boys had run. As for rocks, nothing could beat the canyon for them.

”I'll try, sir,” he replied, ”I've never rowed on the ocean.”

”Humph!” grunted the Captain, ”take the starboard. And you, you lazy long shanks, you take the other oar.”

”All right, sir,” replied cheerfully, the one addressed.

”Get out of here, Pete,” he cried, giving that worthy a lift with his foot that landed him on top of Tom, ”I'll do the steering. You boys will only have to pull, that's all. I'll keep her headed up right.”

Fortunately Juarez was in fine condition, or he could never have stood the gruelling work ahead. He weighed one hundred and sixty pounds and there was not an ounce of fat on him. Likewise he had had a sound night's sleep and three square meals so that he was fortified for what was ahead.

Juarez buckled to the task with all his strength, and he was glad of the chance to get his blood in circulation for he was chilled to the bone by the flying spray, and then too, anything was better than thinking of the fate ahead. He was surprised to find out that the shepherd who appeared rather frail in physique was able to keep up the pace.

But he had that sinewy length of muscles that counts for more than mere bunchy thickness. Juarez was crafty enough not to spend all of his strength in the first fifteen minutes of work. He liked this, fighting the sea and standing on his feet he was able to put the whole leverage of his body into the stroke.

The change in speed was noticeable right away, and the boat began to pull ahead steadily. The two sailors who had been laid off from exhaustion, had watched Juarez with a sneering grin as he took the oar.

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