We watched them with breathless interest, unable
for a long time to satisfy ourselves that they were out of
danger. But at last we saw them shortening sail again--a sure
sign that they considered themselves, while the wind held in the
same quarter, safe from going ashore at any rate, although there
was still before them the prospect of a long struggle with the
unrelenting ferocity of the weather down south.
Meanwhile, what of the daring Irishman and his old barrel of a
ship? The fugitives once safe off the land, all our interest
centred in the CHANCE. We watched her until she drew in so
closely to the seething cauldron of breakers that it was only
occasionally we could distinguish her outline; and the weather
was becoming so thick and dirty, the light so bad, that we were
reluctantly compelled to lose sight of her, although the skipper
believed that he saw her in the midst of the turmoil of broken
water at the western end of the mighty mass of perpendicular
cliff before described. Happily for us, the wind veered to the
westward, releasing us from the prospect of another enforced
visit to the wild regions south of the island. It blew harder
than ever; but being now a fair wind up the Straits, we fled
before it, anchoring again in Port William before midnight.
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