I had no presentiment whatever of the catastrophe that awaited them and me.
A cool, refreshing breeze had been blowing up to his time, but the wind now developed a sudden violence, and the sea was lashed into huge waves that quickly swamped nearly every one of the little cockle-shell boats.
Fortunately, they could not sink, and as I watched I saw that the Malays who were thus thrown into the water clung to the sides of the little boats, and made the best of their way to the big craft in charge of Captain Jensen.

Every moment the sea became more and more turbulent as the wind quickened to a hurricane.

When all the Malays had scrambled into the whale-boat, they attempted to pull back to the ship, but I could see that they were unable to make the slightest headway against the tremendous sea that was running, although they worked frantically at the oars.
On the contrary, I was horrified to see that they were gradually drifting _away from me_, and being carried farther and farther out across the illimitable sea.

I was nearly distracted at the sight, and I racked my brains to devise some means of helping them, but could think of nothing feasible.

I thought first of all of trying to slip the anchor and let the ship drift in their direction, but I was by no means sure that she would actually do this.