Wild, indeed, was the night, yet the stars remained visible. The wind had increased still more by eight bells (midnight), when the watch again changed.
"Is the weather bad enough for you to have to remain here, sir?" asked Ensign Ormsby, respectfully.
"Yes," Darrin nodded. "I am charged with the safety of this craft."
Having gone the limit of her northerly patrol, the "Grigsby" had now headed about, dipping and lunging ahead of the wind and rolling as though the narrow craft would like nothing better than to turn turtle.
Owing to the fact that neither craft carried lights in these dangerous waters Dalzell had pulled far off. At this moment Danny Grin and the "Reed" were four miles nearer the mainland of Europe than the "Grigsby" was.
After an especially heady plunge, followed by some wild rolling from side to side, Dave shouted in his watch officer's ear:
"Ormsby, I'm going to make the round of the deck, to make sure that the life lines are all up and secure."
The ensign nodded. He would have preferred to go himself, but his place as watch officer was on the bridge.
As Dave went down the steps from the bridge a seaman on watch sprang to seize his arm and steady him.
"I've my sea-legs on," Darrin smiled at the sailor.