Christobel was so startled at this point of view that she said nothing at all. She was not very ready with words at a crisis. So she contented herself by helping this young person into the bunk, with cushions and blankets; then she left the saloon, closing the door all but an inch or two; as it slid in a groove this arrangement was easy enough.
Adrian was outside; she could hear him on deck, settling matters ship-shape, stowing down all loose ends and gear that might get free. The "tug of war" was coming; she knew that well enough; they had got to get home.
"Hullo, old lady," said Adrian cheerfully, coming down beside her, "we've got to get home now. It's a straight-forward job, anyway, no side issues! 'All is safely gathered in'," he laughed, so did Christobel.
"I wonder where we are--about," she said.
"Oh, can't be far off. We shall soon know when we've had a shot or two," declared Adrian easily.
The idea of "taking shots" at a lee shore, mainly consisting of rocks, in pitch darkness, with a strong wind behind you, would no doubt have been new and interesting to most sailors.
CHAPTER XXI
Ladders of Light
"Pay off, pay off," cried Adrian; "we'll run for it! The wind should be on our quarter, considering where it comes from; when we pick up the siren from Ramsworthy lighthouse--or better still, the light--we shall know how to get into Bell Bay."
Christobel suggested that the bay would be too rough. As it was not possible to see to pick up the mooring-buoy, she proposed Salterne. It would be safe and calm within the estuary.