Bert had
prepared plenty of coffee and cooked several pans of bacon and eggs, and
had done very well for a tyro. Later the _Adventurer_ turned on her
searchlight and against the white path of it she was plainly visible. A
more than usually severe squall of wind and rain broke over them about
eight and when the rain, which pelted quite fiercely for a few minutes,
had passed on the wind continued. It was coming from the northwest and
held a chilliness that made the amateur mariners squirm down into their
sweaters and raincoats. The _Catspaw_, low in the water as she was,
nevertheless felt the push of the wind and keeping her blunt nose
pointed midway between the two lights ahead became momentarily more
difficult. At the end of an hour it required the services of both Joe
and Wink to hold the schooner steady. Perry and Han, huddled as much out
of the chilling wind as they could be, kept watch at the bow. Keeping
watch, though, was more a figure of speech than an actuality, for the
night was intensely dark and save for the lights of the towing craft
nothing was discernible.
The sea arose under the growing strength of the nor'wester and soon the
waves were thudding hard against the rail and the piled lumber and
sending showers of spray across the deck.
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