All eyes had been anxiously watching this, when the captain again spoke.
“My lads, there’s a slight lull in the storm, and there is just a bare chance of a good swimmer reaching that shore; two minutes more, and it will be too late.” Then turning to the brothers, “Go, lads, and make a brave fight; he who remains has no hope.”
Drifting along as they were, on the ship’s poop, their chance of ever being able to swim ashore seemed small indeed, and the prospect of casting themselves into such a stormy, raging sea, was enough to awe the spirits of even such stout-hearted lads as our forest twins; but it was their only hope of escape, and slender as it seemed, they did not hesitate, at the captain’s suggestion, to make that last effort for dear life.
The brothers looked at one another, and saw in each other’s eyes that a brave hope remained. They then turned to the captain to bid him farewell; but they only saw his broad back shaken with emotion, his face buried in his hands.
Hurriedly divesting themselves of their clothes, they slid down into the billows by means of some of the ropes which were dangling over the bulwarks. As Mat came down last, he was aware of Jumper springing into the sea after him.
Everything now depended on strong arms and a cool head. As each roller came they found that they had to give up striking out, and let themselves be carried on in its dark and roaring body, then up they would come again, and strike out until overwhelmed once more. With the strength of despair, our lads continued to forge ahead for that land, which appeared to their eyes as passing them. After this struggle had continued a cruelly long time, they were aware that the billows did not break so heavily, and that therefore they could the more easily keep on the surface of their crests.
The land was now to the right of them, when Mat, who was slightly ahead, heard Tim shout, “Go on; never mind me.” This sounded so like a despairing cry that Mat turned himself slightly round, and shouted back, “Tread water!” And here came in that part of the science of swimming which is so often neglected; but the brothers had learnt their lesson well, as we shall see.
Keeping their mouths tightly shut to avoid the spoon-drift as much as possible, treading water enabled them to rest their arms and legs alternately for a minute or so, then on they swam again; but they were both, more especially Tim, getting very exhausted, and were on the point of giving up in despair their struggle against the waves, when the sight of a piece of wreckage being drifted landwards, showing them that they had got into a current setting that way, revived their drooping energies, and gave them spirit to make a final effort.
An undercurrent now caught Mat, and carried him rapidly round the point; he raised a feeble shout of joy as his feet touched bottom. Tim ranged up alongside him, and being now under the lee of the point in shallow water, both lads were enabled to wade hand in hand over the sharp coral bottom to the shore.
Utterly spent with their tremendous exertions, they threw themselves down upon the sandy beach, thanking God for their merciful preservation.