One man sprang into the main-rigging, and went up upon the lee side hand-over-hand; one man sprang on the peak of the gaff, and scrambled up; two men got out on the boom; and in less than three minutes the mainsail had been cut adrift, and was rolled far away down to leeward.
"Your Grace," said the captain, "the rudder-head iron is gone, and I have ordered them to cut away the mainsail."
"Good God!" exclaimed the Duke, who had heard the order, and guessed that something had gone terribly wrong with the rudder head; "then we are lost!"
"She may pay off enough to fetch in," said the captain.
"She will not," said the Duke.
"She will not," thought the captain; but he held his peace.
By this time the men on shore had become aware something was wrong. They had seen the men spring aft, and cut away the mainsail. They had seen the man at the wheel leave it, and they had not seen him or any other man return to his place. From the fact of cutting away the mainsail, and leaving the wheel untended, they came to the conclusion some accident had befallen the steering-gear. For awhile there was nothing but startled looks and violent exclamations, which to Cheyne conveyed no clear idea beyond the fact that some kind of danger assailed the schooner.
The first word of definite import which Cheyne caught was spoken by a powerful-looking man of forty. He said:
"She'll never pay off fast enough! She'll be on the rocks in five minutes!"
This announcement was received by a low moan, which told too plainly that there was no gainsaying the words of the speaker.