These thoughts, with a crowd of others equally fearful, flashed through my mind with a bewildering rapidity, and for some moments paralyzed me beyond the possibility of making any exertion.

The boat was going through the water at a terrible rate--full before the wind--no reef in either jib or mainsail--running her bows completely under the foam.

It was a thousand wonders she did not broach to--Augustus having let go the tiller, as I said before, and I being too much agitated to think of taking it myself.

By good luck, however, she kept steady, and gradually I recovered some degree of presence of mind.

Still the wind was increasing fearfully, and whenever we rose from a plunge forward, the sea behind fell combing over our counter, and deluged us with water.