She 's just gettin' ready to let us have it good
an' hard."
"I t'ink you 're right, Kid," French Pete agreed; "but ze _Dazzler_ hang
on all ze same. Last-a time she run away, an' fine night come. Dis time
she run not away. Eh? Vaire good."
CHAPTER XV
GOOD SAILORS IN A WILD ANCHORAGE
All afternoon the _Dazzler_ pitched and rolled at her anchorage, and as
evening drew on the wind deceitfully eased down. This, and the example
set by French Pete, encouraged the rest of the oyster-boats to attempt
to ride out the night; but they looked carefully to their moorings and
put out spare anchors.
French Pete ordered the two boys into the skiff, and, at the imminent risk
of swamping, they carried out a second anchor, at nearly right angles to
the first one, and dropped it over. French Pete then ran out a great
quantity of chain and rope, so that the _Dazzler_ dropped back a hundred
feet or more, where she rode more easily.
It was a wild stretch of water which Joe looked upon from the shelter of
the cockpit. The oyster-beds were out in the open bay, utterly unprotected,
and the wind, sweeping the water for a clean twelve miles, kicked up so
tremendous a sea that at every moment it seemed as though the wallowing
sloops would roll their masts overside. Just before twilight a patch of
sail sprang up to windward, and grew and grew until it resolved itself
into the huge mainsail of the _Reindeer_.
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