He shook his head, evidently thinking she was ordering him to continue.

Seeing that her words were of no avail, Crazy Jane leaped down to the forward deck and casting the tow line from the cleat, flung it out on the water.
"Hook on the other end and tow us back if you want to.

Don't you know better than to turn us around in all this storm ?" she yelled.
The boatman ran up to the stern where Harriet was doing her best to keep the boat's head to the wind, but was slowly losing ground.

She motioned to him to keep off and beckoned to him to cast the tow line to her so she could make it fast at that end.

Harriet had forgotten that there was no rudder at the other end.