Then let's pretend to be poor. Think how
our neighbors would talk about that pretty Mrs. O'Reilly on the
fourth floor, and her magnificent jewels. They'd swear I was a
smuggler."
As the evening lengthened and the boat forged steadily ahead the
two sat murmuring happily. Forward, another bride and groom were
similarly engaged. Branch and Jacket took turns bailing.
It proved to be a long, long night, for the boat, though roomy,
was uncomfortable. O'Reilly steered as straight a course as he
could without compass, but toward morning he saw that the sky was
growing overcast and his apprehensions stirred anew. Daylight
brought an increased breeze which heeled the boat further. She
made better speed, but she likewise took more water through her
seams and it became necessary to lend Leslie and Jacket a hand
with the bailing. The deep channel was far behind now, and they
were on the shallow Bahama Banks; beneath them they could glimpse
beds of sponges, patches of coral, white bottom with occasional
forests of brilliant-hued sea fans. The horizon still remained
vacant and the tip of Andros lay far to the north.
Fortunately the haze was not thick enough to wholly obscure the
sun and so O'Reilly was enabled to hold his course. But he did not
like the look of things.
By ten o'clock the sea was tumbling and the worm-eaten hulk was
laboring.
Pages:
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467