Shall we shake out a reef, Watkins ?" "I wouldn't, sir; she has got as much as she can carry on her now.

We must mind what we are doing, sir; the currents run like a millstream, and if we get that reef under our lee, and the wind and current both setting us on to it, it will be all up with us in no time." "Yes, I know that, Watkins.

Jack, take the helm a minute while we run down and look at the chart.
"Our only chance, Watkins, is to work up behind the reef, and try and get so that they can either fasten a line to a buoy and let it float down to us, or get into a boat, if they have one left, and drift to us." "They are an awful group of rocks," Watkins said, as they examined the chart; "you see some of them show merely at high tide, and a lot of them are above at low water.

It will be an awful business to get among them rocks, sir, just about as near certain death as a thing can be." "Well, it's got to be done, Watkins," Tom said firmly.

"I see the danger as well as you do, but whatever the risk it must be tried.