"To the seaward side?"
"Right. The island will break the wind. I noticed one good anchorage, at least, over there. We can make it easily with the wind like this."
"You're the doctor," said Midkiff. "I suppose you know what you are about once in a blue moon."
"Your confidence in me almost brings the tears to my eyes. Shake a reef out of that sail, Jawn. We're going to run down wind for a long lap."
With this change in the sailing of the Spoondrift, Applejack and Peewee felt greatly relieved. With the wind practically astern, the catboat was less acrobatic in her motions. But when the high eastern point of the island began to draw in on their port quarter, the other fellows wanted to know where they were bound.
"What're you aiming to do, King?" asked Red Phillips. "Sail us clear over to Spain? You're heading that way."
"Get out your Spanish phrase book, and learn to speak the language with a pleasant accent," advised Kingdon, "if you think we're likely to reach that coast. Forewarned is forearmed."
"What do you mean, 'four-armed'?" grinned Red. "Think I am an anthropoidean quadrumanous animal? Isn't that a good one? I learned it by heart after Old Yad suggested I might be one on occasion."
"I'd have had him arrested," Cloudman said, weakly. "Didn't know Yad could talk so mean to a fellow."
It was growing late when the catboat swung into the smoother patch of ocean south of the island. On their left, the surf roared far up the rocks and narrow beaches, and the swell, forerunning a storm, was quite apparent. The boat sailed on more even keel.