The sea had now risen still more than at first, and dark heavy masses crested with foam came rolling on towards the boat.
It was proposed to hang on to the whale, and wait till the ship stood towards them. The boat was made fast under the lee of the monster’s body, which served somewhat to break the force of the seas.
Again a pale blue light was seen, but it was evidently only the upper rays, showing that the ship was hull down. The captain might not dare to venture so near a rocky coast, off which unknown reefs might lie hid, even to save their lives.
In a short time the body of the whale scarcely afforded them shelter, and the seas, rolling over it, broke on board. The crew cried out that they should be swamped, and proposed pulling for the island and landing on the rocks.
“We shall have a chance of saving our lives, and it will be better than being swamped out here!” exclaimed the man who had first spoken.
“We shall have but a poor chance if we attempt to land on the rocks, I tell you that, lads,” said old Tom. “I would rather keep hold of the whale.”
Still the men declared that they would, at all events, rather chance it.
Just as they were speaking, the clouds to windward appeared to open, and a bright light darted from the sky. This decided old Tom, for he knew that it was the sign of a still further increase of wind.
“I hope we shall not have to run on the rocks,” he said; “just, however, as we made fast to the whale, I observed an opening in the surf. It was a very narrow one, though. If we can find it we will attempt to run through, for there is sure to be a harbour inside, and we have no other hope of saving our lives that I can see.”
The boat was accordingly cast off from the whale, and her head being kept to the seas, to prevent her from being swamped, the crew exerted all their strength to gain the land. Ahead appeared a long line of roaring, foaming breakers, with a rocky shore beyond, and the dim outline of the dark hills farther on. For an hour or more they pulled on, but no opening in the mass of foaming breakers could be discerned. They were beginning to despair, when old Tom said that he could see the place he was in search of, for he had remarked the peculiar shape of the hills at that spot. He accordingly steered in for the shore. Harry and Dickey, however, could see nothing but the threatening breakers.