The captain set their course south by west, apparently for some island of which he knew, and meanwhile the men strove not so much to make distance as to keep the boat right side up.

Often Robert thought they were gone.

They rode dizzily upon high waves, and they sloped at appalling angles, but always they righted and kept afloat.

The water sprayed them continuously and the wind made it sting like small shot, but that was a trifle to men in their situation who were straining merely to keep the breath in their bodies.
After a while--Robert had no idea how long the time had been--the violence of the wind seemed to abate somewhat, and their immense peril of sinking decreased.

Robert sought an easier position at the oar, and tried to see something reassuring, but it was still almost as dark as pitch, and there was only the black and terrible sea around them.