Soon even this was lowered, and Van der Kemp used his double-blade paddle to keep them in position, at the same time telling Nigel to unship the mast.
"And plug the hole with that," he added, handing him a bit of wood which exactly fitted the hole in the deck.
Watching for another lull in the blast, the hermit at last gave the order, and round they came as before, head to wind, but not quite so easily, and Nigel felt that they had narrowly escaped overturning in the operation.
"Keep her so, Moses.

You can help with your paddle, Nigel, while I get ready our anchor." "Anchor!" exclaimed our hero in amazement--obeying orders, however, at the same moment.
The hermit either did not hear the exclamation or did not care to notice it.

He quickly collected the mast and sails, with a couple of boat-hooks and all the paddles excepting two single ones.

These he bound together by means of the sheets and halyards, attached the whole to a hawser,--one end of which passed through an iron ring at the bow--and tossed it into the sea--paying out the hawser rapidly at the same time so as to put a few yards between them and their floating anchor--if it may be so called--in the lee of which they prepared to ride out the gale.
It was well that they had taken the precaution to put on their waterproofs before the gale began, because, while turned head to wind every breaking wave swept right over their heads, and even now while under the lee of the floating anchor they were for some time almost continually overwhelmed by thick spray.

Being, however, set free from the necessity of keeping their tiny craft in position, they all bowed their heads on the deck, sheltered their faces in their hands and awaited the end! Whilst in this attitude--so like to that of prayer--Nigel almost naturally thought of Him who holds the water in the hollow of His hand, and lifted his soul to God; for, amid the roaring of the gale, the flashes of lightning, the appalling thunder, the feeling that he was in reality all but under the waves and the knowledge that the proverbial plank between him and death was of the very thinnest description, a sensation of helplessness and of dependence on the Almighty, such as he had never before experienced, crept over him.