The standing figure continued to wave its arms.
Those people must be in trouble of some sort, I decided, and it was evident that Small thought so, too.

There could no imminent danger threaten for, on a day like this, with no sea running, there was nothing to fear in the bay.

If, however, they should drift out of the bay it might be unpleasant.

And they certainly were drifting.

I resigned myself to the indefinite postponement of my dinner, swung the skiff about, and pulled as hard as I could in the direction of the row boat.
With the tide to help me I made good progress, but, even at that, it took me some time to overtake the drifting craft.