第95章

A few hours succeeded, and darkness came again to increase the perils of the _Scud_.A lull in the gale, how-ever, had induced Cap to come by the wind once more, and throughout the night the cutter was lying-to as before, head-reaching as a matter of course, and occasionally war-ing to keep off the land.It is unnecessary to dwell on the incidents of this night, which resembled those of any other gale of wind.There were the pitching of the vessel, the hissing of the waters, the dashing of spray, the shocks that menaced annihilation to the little craft as she plunged into the seas, the undying howl of the wind, and the fear-ful drift.The last was the most serious danger; for, though exceedingly weatherly under her canvas, and to-tally without top-hamper, the _Scud_ was so light, that the combing of the swells would seem at times to wash her down to leeward with a velocity as great as that of the surges themselves.

During this night Cap slept soundly, and for several hours.The day was just dawning when he felt himself shaken by the shoulder; and arousing himself, he found the Pathfinder standing at his side.During the gale the guide had appeared little on deck, for his natural modesty told him that seamen alone should interfere with the man-agement of the vessel; and he was willing to show the same reliance on those who had charge of the _Scud_, as he expected those who followed through the forest to mani-fest in his own skill; but he now thought himself justified in interfering, which he did in his own unsophisticated and peculiar manner.

"Sleep is sweet, Master Cap," said he, as soon as the eyes of the latter were fairly open, and his consciousness had sufficiently returned, -- "sleep is sweet, as I know from ex-perience, but life is sweeter still.Look about you, and say if this is exactly the moment for a commander to be off his feet.""How now? how now, Master Pathfinder?" growled Cap, in the first moments of his awakened faculties."Are you, too, getting on the side of the grumblers? When ashore I admired your sagacity in running through the worst shoals without a compass; and since we have been afloat, your meekness and submission have been as pleas-ant as your confidence on your own ground.I little ex-pected such a summons from you."

"As for myself, Master Cap, I feel I have my gifts, and I believe they'll interfere with those of no other man; but the case may be different with Mabel Dunham.She has her gifts, too, it is true; but they are not rude like ours, but gentle and womanish, as they ought to be.It's on her account that I speak, and not on my own.""Ay, ay, I begin to understand.The girl is a good girl, my worthy friend; but she is a soldier's daughter and a sailor's niece, and ought not to be too tame or too tender in a gale.Does she show any fear?""Not she! not she! Mabel is a woman, but she is rea-sonable and silent.Not a word have I heard from her concerning our doings; though I do think, Master Cap, she would like it better if Jasper Eau-douce were put into his proper place, and things were restored to their old sit-uation, like.This is human natur'."

"I'll warrant it -- girl-like, and Dunham-like, too.Any-thing is better than an old uncle, and everybody knows more than an old seaman._This_ is human natur', Master Pathfinder, and d--- me if I'm the man to sheer a fathom, starboard or port, for all the human natur' that can be found in a minx of twenty -- ay, or" (lowering his voice a little) "for all that can be paraded in his Majesty's 55th regiment of foot.I've not been at sea forty years, to come up on this bit of fresh water to be taught human natur'.

How this gale holds out! It blows as hard at this moment as if Boreas had just clapped his hand upon the bellows.

And what is all this to leeward?" (rubbing his eyes) --"land! as sure as my name is Cap -- and high land, too."The Pathfinder made no immediate answer; but, shak-ing his head, he watched the expression of his companion's face, with a look of strong anxiety in his own.

"Land, as certain as this is the _Scud!_" repeated Cap;"a lee shore, and that, too, within a league of us, with as pretty a line of breakers as one could find on the beach of all Long Island!""And is that encouraging? or is it disheartening?" in-quired the Pathfinder.