Past them flew the strange vessel. The wind was making a great racket, but high above its clamor the boys in the catboat heard a cry that must have come from human lips. It was wild and weird, and it sent a shudder through them.
On sped the mysterious vessel.
Round came the Jolly Sport, and, almost before anybody was aware of it, the catboat was running after the schooner.
Running before the wind the Jolly Sport was a wonder. She flew like a bird.
“What are you going to do, Merry?” shouted Rattleton, in amazement.
“I am going to try to get back to the Thimbles before it is pitch dark.”
“It can’t be done!” declared Diamond.
“It’s our only show. The night is going to be blacker than a stack of black cats. We’ll be run down here on the sound, or the seas will swamp us. We can’t make New Haven against this wind. It is utterly impossible.”
The others felt that Frank was right. The boat had shown that she was but little good against the wind, but she could run like a deer before it. They had been a long time beating off from the Thimbles, but it could not take them long to run back.
Then they thought of the vessel that had so nearly run them down.