"Not much; we'll drop anchor, and swing out the cable towards the shore," said the captain.
"I see men on the shore, and there are boats there; perhaps they can come to our rescue, though the wind is blowing a little too hard for them."
The captain hallooed to them, and they returned an answer, but the wind howled so that they could not be understood.
"A boat! A boat!" shouted the captain. Others of the crew joined in the call for aid, and made various signs indicating their need of assistance. But neither party could understand the other.
"What now?" inquired Benjamin, when he saw the men on shore turning their steps homeward. "A pretty dark night before us."
"Yes, dark and perilous, though I have seen a worse one," answered the captain. "When we find ourselves in such a predicament, there is only one thing to be done."
"What is that?" asked Benjamin, who was quite nervous and anxious.
"Do nothing but wait patiently for the wind to abate." The captain was cool and self-reliant when he spoke.
"Then let us turn in with the Dutchman," said one of the boatmen. "I don't want he should have all the sleep there is. He is not in condition to appreciate it as I am."
"As you please," said the captain; "might as well improve the time by getting a little rest. We shall be all right in the morning."