A Star Looks Down Part 27

"We're not going to--we're going for a sail.

I know all about it and we don't want you--you can go home and wait for us, and I don't care if you do sneak!

' He sounded defiant.

"What in the world should I sneak for?

Come on back.

Dirk, I'm sure you're a first cla.s.s sailor, but I think it would be a good idea if you brought the others back.

' He didn't answer, and Beth saw the boat, caught in a sudden gust of wind, driving further away from the sh.o.r.e.

They would be through the lock in no time at all and out into open water.

And not only that, the wind was freshening fast and the little clouds were all of a sudden big ones.

She walked along the edge of the water, using all her persuasive powers with absolutely no effect.

It was when she heard Alberdina's small voice wailing that she slithered down the bank, took off her shoes, slid into the water and began to swim laboriously towards the boeier.

She hadn't really stopped to think, which was just as well, for she was terrified and she had no illusions about her swimming, but although she didn't know it, the strong current helped her, sweeping her along until she reached the boat, which was bowling merrily along now with only a few yards to go before it went through the narrow opening which would send it into the Hollandsche Diep.

Somehow she scrambled on board, with Marineka and Hubert helping her and laughing at the same time.

For them, she thought sourly, it was a fine joke, but for her it had been a wit-scaring experience she vowed she would never repeat, and now here she was, sitting on the deck of a boat she hadn't the faintest idea how to sail and wringing wet into the bargain.

But it would never do to let them see how angry she was.

She said between chattering teeth: "Heavens, I had no idea I could swim so well!

And now what about getting back, so I can get out of these wet things?

' It was too late.

As she spoke the boeier, caught by another, stronger gust of wind, plunged ahead, its sails billowing, st.u.r.dily ploughing through water which had become quite alarmingly rough, and Marineka, who had gone back to the tiller, suddenly left it again, declaring that it was too heavy for her and that she was frightened.

Beth had only the haziest notion of what sailing entailed, but she did know that someone had to steer; she took the little girl's place and called to Dirk, busy in the curved bows of the boat: "How do we turn round?

' He turned a frightened little boy's face to her and She saw with a sinking heart that his boasting hadn't meant a thing, he didn't know much more than she did.

He said now: "I don't know, Beth.

I think we have to take in sail.

There is a wind--sometimes there are sudden storms and it is dangerous.

' He was right; the sky was a uniform grey now, pressing low on their heads, and the wind, no longer just gusts of it, was blowing steadily, taking them further and further away from land.

"Well, what shall we do?

' asked Beth, carefully keeping panic out of her voice.

"Shall I leave this thing and come and help you or stay where I am?

' "You cannot leave the tiller--I will try and get the sails down, but there are knots.

" "But oughtn't we to keep at least one sail up, or we shall drift--isn't it called running before the wind?

' She was hopelessly vague about what to do next, but she remembered having read that somewhere and now the wind was too strong for them to do anything else.

"Shall we try and reach the sh.o.r.e--there's land on either side of us,"

she peered through the fine rain which was beginning to fall.

"It's a long way off," she couldn't help adding: "Shall we try the left or the right?

' They decided on the left, but the wind was too strong for them.

The boat, broad and steady, was safe enough, she thought, but it needed more than herself and Dirk to manage it, and the other children were too frightened to be of much help.

They might have a better chance if they went straight ahead; there would be land somewhere ahead of them.

She tried to remember what Holland looked like; there were a number of islands, she knew that, divided by a great number of waterways leading to the North Sea.

She wrinkled her brows, trying to remember what the profess or had told her about them--there were d.y.k.es, enormous ones, enclosing some of the islands, and there was a bridge, but that was further south.

They would have to keep on; they were bound to reach something sooner or later--sooner, she prayed fervently.

The boat had a roomy, well equipped cabin; she sent the three younger children down below and told Marineka to wrap themselves up in blankets if there were any.

"And I'll be down in a few minutes," she promised.

Dirk had given up messing about with the sails; Beth called to him to take her place and followed the children to the cabin, where she settled them as comfortably as possible, found some lemonade and biscuits, then took off her wet shirt and pulled on a vast knitted garment in one of the lockers.

She took the second one back with her and made Dirk put it on, then sent him below to have his share of the food.

By the time he joined her the rain had blotted out the land and she asked him: "Where are we.

Dirk?

' He gave her a sullen look.

"I don't know-at least, we're in the Grevelingen Krammer.

Oost Flakkee is on that side, but there aren't any harbours for miles.

' He sounded near to tears, despite the sullen looks, so she said cheerfully: "Then we'd best keep on, hadn't we?

' Now that she was getting over her fright, she looked around to see if there was anything she could understand in the boat--yachts had automatic steering wheels and things like that, and the boeier, although it had been adapted from a fishing boat's shape, was nevertheless a kind of yacht.

And surely it wasn't as difficult as all that to get a sail down?

But even if they succeeded in this, supposing the wind dropped, how would they get it up again?

However did people manage?

thought Beth desperately and then said aloud: "An engine-there has to be an engine.

Dirk, where is it?

' He pointed to a wooden cover on the deck and shrugged his shoulders.

"It's there, but I don't know how it works.

' "Then I'll get it going.

' She raised her voice above the wind.

It must be a gale by now, she thought worriedly.

She had no idea how fast they were sailing now, but at the rate they were travelling, it couldn't be long before they reached somewhere.

A sudden picture, making her feel quite sick, of them being blown into the North Sea before she could do anything about it sent her cautiously along the deck to the wooden cover, which, after two or three attempts, she managed to open.

She had no idea what kind of engine it might be--not that it would have helped much if she had known; it looked a jumble of machinery which remained stubbornly silent when she tried one or two experimental pokes, but it had to go if only she knew how.

She replaced the cover and went back to Dirk at the tiller.

"There must be a chart or something of the sort," she told him.

"I'm going to have a look for one.

' In the cabin the children were curled up together.

Beth paused to tell them that they were almost at their journey's end--a fict.i.tious piece of nonsense which they believed-and started her search.

She found what she was looking for quite quickly and took it triumphantly back to Dirk.

"T'll take the tiller," she told him, 'and you have a look at it for me.

' To her relief he understood at least some of it.

All the same it took a very long time before, between them, they had puzzled it out and even then she was a little scared to try it.

But she had to, for the storm was worsening all the time and she had the nasty feeling that the mist like rain would make it difficult for anyone to see them from the sh.o.r.e.

She took off the cover once more, and began to poke around.

Nothing happened; she knelt on the deck, holding on to the rail with both hands, and fought a desire to burst into tears.

If only Alexander were there!

He would have known what to do and would have done it without fuss, and by now they would all have been home and dry--and safe.

The nightmare trip had lasted for hours; they must have come miles and there was nothing to be seen.

Even as she thought it, she saw land looming out of the grey ness ahead of them.

She flung herself down beside Dirk, shouting urgently above the gale: "Dirk, that's land--can't we stop?

Where is it?

' "It's the new d.y.k.e, I think, but I don't think we can stop--the wind's blowing us through that opening--we'll have to go on.

' "But we must.

Dirk--it's our chance.

Let's just try.

' It was hopeless and dangerous besides; the hoeier, tough though she was, shuddered alarmingly when they altered course, caught in a cross-wind which almost turned her over.

With the strength of fear, they got her back on course again and slid through the gap, the d.y.k.e behind them now, and a waste of grey water ahead.

"I'm going to have another go," said Beth fiercely.

And this time she was lucky; she hadn't the slightest idea how she had done it, but the motor coughed, sighed, coughed again and came alive.

She stayed by it for a minute, hardly believing her ears, then shouted: "Dirk it's going!

Now we can turn, can't we?

' He stared at her from a white face.

"Uncle Alexander said never.

we have to alter course very slowly at intervals.

' It sounded awful.

She shuddered at the risks they were taking and pulled herself together.

"What comes after that d.y.k.e?