Goles to a ring. Then, taking off his ulster, he wrapped it
round the mother and baby, and lashed her. Then he lashed the bartender
and Goles, and took a loose turn about a ring for himself. Then he
waited.
It came soon enough. A large section of the top deck floated clear of
the upper works. Jan stayed by the floating deck until he felt that the
steamer was surely sunk beneath them. Then he cut the raft clear of
everything and let her drift.
The raft was swirled from wave to wave. The spray broke over them.
"We'll get wet," said Jan; "but one thing--she won't capsize!"
The seas curled and boomed about them; but no solid seas rolled over
them. The raft mounted every roaring white crest as if it were swinging
from an aeroplane. The spray never failed to drench them and with every
heaving sea came bits of wreckage that threatened them; but at least
they were living, and not a living soul besides themselves had come
away.
THE RAFT
The clouds raced low above them; but by and by the clouds passed away
and clear and cold shone a moon on a terrifying sea. And so for
hours--until the moon had gone and the struggling daylight revealed a
surf breaking high on a sandy shore. They could not land there; so Jan
took the long oar and wielded it over one end of the raft and held her
parallel to the beach until he descried a point reaching out into the
bay.
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