"She may be caught in a squall," suggested Matt.
"Squalls are always to be expected, and it is necessary to understand how to deal with them. At sea, out of sight of land, we have to take whatever comes. You have sailed a yacht enough to know what to do in a squall."
"Something may break," suggested Matt.
"Sails and rigging should be frequently overhauled, to make it reasonably sure that they will not give out at a critical moment. It is taking a needless risk to neglect to do this."
"Then you don't believe that any disasters ought to occur?"
"I will not go quite so far as that: nine-tenths of them could be avoided by taking no needless risk. But we are all human; and while boatmen will take risks, and be careless, there must be accidents. I advise you to let the pilot take the vessel through the outlet."
Dory Dornwood was the pilot; and he had had more experience in taking sailing craft through the bend of the stream than any other person on board,—or in the town, for that matter. The principal wanted to add, that this same pilot was the most reliable young skipper he had ever known, and for the simple reason that he took no needless risks, though he was ready to incur those which occasion required; but the remark might hurt the feelings of the new captain, and it was not uttered.
The Lily was handed over to Dory, and the ship's company were directed to obey his orders. This was no sacrifice of dignity or authority, for every pilot in charge of a vessel has the absolute command of her for the time. The current of the outlet had piled up banks of sand and mud in places; and it was necessary, in such a comparatively narrow channel, to know where they were.
Dory gave his orders to the mate, and they were executed in the same manner as though they had come from the captain. The wind was better at the V-Point than it had been in the creek, and the pilot had no difficulty in taking the Lily through. She was not as long, by forty feet, as the Sylph; but at one place she had to make a short tack of not much more than twice her length, and it required no little skill to make every thing work so as to avoid a miss-stay.
The schooner came out all right on the river. Captain Randolph resumed the command. The students watched the motion of the Lily with the most intense interest, especially those who had taken a hand in building her hull. The wind freshened as she came nearer to Lake Champlain: she heeled over more, and the bone in her teeth increased in size.