"I won't go ahead any farther into this hole," said he, decidedly.
"O, yes, go ahead," interposed Bob Hale. "Ernest knows what he is about."
"Perhaps he does; but I want to know what he is about too. I don't want the steamer smashed or injured."
It was of no use for me to say anything more, and I held my tongue. The Adieno had now entirely lost her headway, and as the strong wind began to act on her top works, she drifted over to the lee side of the channel. She grated a moment on the bottom, and then stuck fast, hard aground, so far as I could judge.
"There! now do you see what you have done?" shouted Vallington, stamping his foot angrily upon the deck.
"I see what you have done," I replied, as calmly as I could; and that was not saying much, for I was very indignant at being charged with what was plainly his doing.
And there we were, hard and fast aground, with a tempest brewing between the general and the commodore.