Were we outside the reef,
our prayers could not be more kindly answered than by giving us this very
wind but here, where we are, it comes unseasonably. Ha!--this, at least,
helps her!"
A puff from the land filled the sails, and the ripple of the water at the
stern was just audible. The helm was attended to, and the boat drew slowly
from the reef and ahead.
"We have all reason for gratitude! That danger, at least, is avoided. Ha!
the boat is aground!"
Sure enough the launch was on the sands. They were still so near the
rocks, as to require the utmost caution in their proceedings. Using the
spar with great care, the gentlemen discovered that the boat hung astern,
and there remained no choice but patience.
"It is fortunate the Arabs have no dogs with them on the rocks: you hear
them howling incessantly in their camps."
"It is, truly. Think you we can ever find the inlet in this deep
obscurity?"
"It is our only course. By following the rocks we should be certain to
discover it; but you perceive they are already out of sight, though they
cannot be thirty fathoms from us. The helm is free, and the boat must be
clear of the bottom again. This last puff has helped us."
Another silence succeeded, during which the launch moved slowly onward,
though whither, neither of the gentlemen could tell.
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