The night was clear; but it was quite dark, and the darkness on the water is deeper, and more dense, to a person unaccustomed to the sea, than on the land. Bessie was not afraid; but after the boat had gone a few rods from the shore, she had no idea where she was, for the gloom of night breeds confusion in the mind on the sea.
Bessie did not recognize Mat's companion in the boat; but she supposed he was one of the crew of the yacht. He did not speak, and she had no reason to suspect that anything was wrong. Mat Mogmore was well known to her, and had been long before the yacht was built. He was one of Levi's hands, and his presence, if she had had any suspicions, would have been enough to satisfy her.
"How dark it is!" said Bessie to Mat, who pulled the after oar.
"Not very dark, miss," replied Mat. "The stars are out, and we don't call it very dark when we can see them."
"But I cannot see anything, or tell where I am. I can see the lights in the town, but I can't make out anything else."
"Because you are not used to it. Can't you see the yacht right ahead of us?"
"I can see the outline of a vessel, but I couldn't tell whether it was The Starry Flag or a fishing vessel."
"It's the yacht."
Bessie looked around her, and tried to distinguish the headlands, which looked like masses of darkness resting beneath the star-lit sky.
"Now you can see the yacht," said Mat, as the boat approached a vessel which was not unlike the yacht.