They watched her for a
space, rolling and plunging fearfully, and making very little headway.
French Pete put a stop to their gazing. "Come on!" he shouted. "Put two
reef in ze mainsail! We get out queeck!"
While occupied with this a shout aroused them. Looking up, they saw the
_Ghost_ dead ahead and right on top of them, and dragging down upon them
at a furious rate.
French Pete scrambled forward like a cat, at the same time drawing his
knife, with one stroke of which he severed the rope that held them to
the spare anchor. This threw the whole weight of the _Dazzler_ on the
chain-anchor. In consequence she swung off to the left, and just in time;
for the next instant, drifting stern foremost, the _Ghost_ passed over
the spot she had vacated.
"Why, she 's got four anchors out!" Joe exclaimed, at sight of four taut
ropes entering the water almost horizontally from her bow.
"Two of 'em 's dredges," 'Frisco Kid grinned; "and there goes the stove."
As he spoke, two young fellows appeared on deck and dropped the
cooking-stove overside with a line attached.
"Phew!" 'Frisco Kid cried. "Look at Nelson. He 's got one reef in,
and you can just bet that 's a sign she 's howlin'!"
The _Reindeer_ came foaming toward them, breasting the storm like some
magnificent sea-animal. Red Nelson waved to them as he passed astern,
and fifteen minutes later, when they were breaking out the one anchor
that remained to them, he passed well to windward on the other tack.
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