Then Ned shouted to Gerald to coast along, outside the broken water; for that there was no landing there, with life.

For upwards of an hour they swam on, outside the line of surf.

The sea, although tremendously high, did not break till it touched a certain point, and the lads rose and fell over the great billows.

They had stripped off the greater portion of their clothing, before the ship struck; and in the warm water had no sensation of chill, and had nothing to fight against, but fatigue.
When they were in the hollow of the waves their position was easy enough, and they could make each other hear, by shouting loudly.
When, however, they were on the crest of one of the mountainous waves, it was a hard struggle for life.

The wind blew with such fury, taking the top of the water off in sheets, and scattering it in fine spray, that the boys were nearly drowned; although they kept their back to the wind, and held their breath as if diving, except when necessary to make a gasp for air.
Gerald became weak and tired, at the end of the hour; but Ned kept up his courage, and aided him by swimming by his side, and letting Gerald put his hand upon his shoulder, every time that they were in the hollows of the waves, so that he got a complete rest at these periods.
At last, Ned thought he saw a passage between two of the big rocks, through which it might be possible, he thought, that they might swim, and so avoid the certain death which seemed to await them at every other spot.
The passage was about 40 feet wide, and it was no easy matter to calculate upon striking this, in so wild a sea.