“The Buse Tief,” [[See Chart B]] muttered Davies. “Row hard now, and steady as a clock.”
For a hundred yards or more I bent to my sculls and made her fly. Davies was getting six fathom casts, till, just as suddenly as it had deepened, the water shoaled—ten feet, six, three, one—the dinghy grounded.
“Good!” said Davies. “Back her off! Pull your right only.” The dinghy spun round with her bow to N.N.W. “Both arms together! Don’t you worry about the compass now; just pull, and listen for orders. There’s a tricky bit coming.”
He put aside the chart, kicked the lead under the seat, and, kneeling on the dripping coils of line, sounded continuously with the butt-end of the boathook, a stumpy little implement, notched at intervals of a foot, and often before used for the same purpose. All at once I was aware that a check had come, for the dinghy swerved and doubled like a hound ranging after scent.
“Stop her,” he said, suddenly, “and throw out the grapnel.”
I obeyed and we brought up, swinging to a slight current, whose direction Davies verified by the compass. Then for half a minute he gave himself up to concentrated thought. What struck me most about him was that he never for a moment strained his eyes through the fog; a useless exercise (for five yards or so was the radius of our vision) which, however, I could not help indulging in, while I rested. He made up his mind, and we were off again, straight and swift as an arrow this time, and in water deeper than the boathook. I could see by his face that he was taking some bold expedient whose issue hung in the balance.... Again we touched mud, and the artist’s joy of achievement shone in his eyes. Backing away, we headed west, and for the first time he began to gaze into the fog.
“There’s one!” he snapped at last. “Easy all!”
A boom, one of the usual upright saplings, glided out of the mist. He caught hold of it, and we brought up.
“Rest for three minutes now,” he said. “We’re in fairly good time.”
It was 11.10. I ate some biscuits and took a nip of whisky while Davies prepared for the next stage.