Yes, nearer, nearer, nearer, came the Relentless to that foaming bar. The boat had already arrived there, and Dave saw it resting quietly on its sandy bed. Did he notice a glistening strip of sand beyond the surf? He had heard some one in Shipton say that at very low tide there was no water on portions of the bar. This fact set him to thinking about his possible action. It now seemed to him as if the distance between the stern of the vessel and the bar could not be more than a hundred feet. The bow of the vessel pointed up river. She was going "stern on." How would it strike--forcibly, easily?
"Nearer and nearer came the 'Relentless' to that foaming bar." Page 43]
"Ninety feet now!" thought Dave. "Will the shock upset her, pitch us out, or what?"
Sixty feet now!
"The bar looks sort of ugly!" remarked Johnny Richards.
Thirty feet now!
"Wish I was in bed!" thought Jimmy Davis.
Twenty feet now!
Had the schooner halted? The boys clustered in the bow and looked anxiously over to the bar.