But when he saw only three boys standing on the sands, his eye
wandered restlessly about in quest of the fourth; then a deadly
pallor overspread his features.
Our story was soon told. A solemn silence fell upon the crowd of
rough boatmen gathered round, interrupted only by a stifled sob
form one poor old man who stood apart from the rest.
The sea was still running too high for any small boat to venture
out; so it was arranged that the wherry should take us back to
town, leaving the yawl, with a picked crew, to hug the island until
daybreak, and then set forth in search of the Dolphin.
Though it was barely sunrise when we reached town, there were a
great many persons assembled at the landing eager for intelligence
from missing boats. Two picnic parties had started down river the
day before, just previous to the gale, and nothing had been heard
of them. It turned out that the pleasure-seekers saw their danger
in time, and ran ashore on one of the least exposed islands, where
they passed the night.
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