Page:Fairview Boys at Lighthouse Cove.djvu/94



the boys, shut up in the cabin of the Skip, looked at one another. They had to cling to the bunks and the sides of the bulkheads in order not to be thrown down, so violent was the motion of the craft. Sometimes the boat would whirl completely around, and after this had happened several times Bob cried:

"Fellows, there's only one thing to do!"

"What's that?" asked Sammy. "Can we do anything?"

"We've just got to," said Frank. "If we don't we'll sink pretty soon, and be drowned. I think I know what you mean, Bob. You mean we've got to steer the boat?"

"That's it! She's going every which way now, and there's no telling what may happen. If we can get at the wheel we may be able to send her ashore."

"But the wheel is outside!" cried Sammy. "We can't go out in this storm to steer."

"Oh, yes we can, if we had to," said Bob. "But we don't have to. There's another wheel inside the cabin, you know."

And so there was, Silas having arranged this for his own comfort in stormy weather. The Skip could be guided either by the wheel outside in what might be called the cockpit, or from within the cabin. And in the cabin, up forward, were small windows, or bull's-eyes, through which the steersman could look.