“I didn’t suppose any boat could live in this,” said Mortimer.
“It sometimes surprises me to see how well she rides these things,” answered Evans. “I’d like to see that lighthouse again to make sure we’re in the channel. We should in a minute, as the rain’s letting up, and we’re getting near to it. There it is. We’ll be through most of it in a minute now.”
Then, with series of plunges, in each of which it seemed as if she must drive her bow into the white sand, so close below the surface it appeared, the Petrel passed through the roaring breakers into the deeper water beyond, where, rough as it was, it seemed like a haven of refuge compared with the rip they had come through.
Mortimer breathed more freely. “I don’t mind saying I felt scared coming through that,” he said. “I’m glad you know this game as well as you do.”
“I’m not sorry to be through it myself,” said Evans. “It was quite rough enough for a bit. I don’t think I ever saw such an ugly squall, and I’ve seen some bad ones. Still, as long as I had that bearing on Monomoy Light we were in no danger. Quarter of a mile out of the channel, it’s so shoal she might have hit.”
“What would you have done if you hadn’t got that bearing?”
“I guess I’d have stood off and waited till it cleared enough to see the lighthouse, or else beat out round Bearse Shoal, and that would have been a hell of a rough thrash to windward; still, it wouldn’t have hurt us any.”
“It looks to me as if the gods had a way of fighting on your side,” said Mortimer. “Do you always get away with it when you take a chance like that?”
Evans looked serious. “I don’t know as I can claim that,” he said, “but Fortune has been pretty good to me in her own way. Maybe I was rather foolish to go through that. It will be smoother from now on; there’ll be some small rips, but nothing like that one. I think we’d better make for Hyannis. We could anchor in Chatham Roads, but that would be exposed if the wind turned southwest. Hyannis is a good harbor in any wind, and it will be easy getting in after dark with Bishop and Clerk’s and the harbor range lights to steer by. It’ll be handier for you in the morning, too. Take her while I hoist the mizzen; we may as well have that now.”
In another minute the little boat was speeding on before the gale under mizzen and jib. The rain had subsided, but a leaden twilight was closing in. Monomoy appeared as a low white streak of sand on the starboard beam. Hugging it close, they rounded Monomoy Point and luffed to clear the north end of Handkerchief Shoal. Evans went below and lit the running lights, then, starting a fire in the small coal stove in the galley, put some potatoes and rice on to boil. Then he came on deck with some pilot biscuit and chocolate, and the two friends settled down in the snug little cockpit to enjoy their sail through the shoals in the gathering darkness.