At length Kalus rose, to apologize with broken heart for killing
them all.
But the words were never spoken. Somehow the boat had turned about, and
no longer faced southward. For a time he wasn't sure, afraid of some
trick..... Yes! If the vessel moved at all it was north and a little
east. They had missed the southwest facet of the Island, but if they
paddled with strength and good hope, perhaps they might still affect a
landing on its more easterly shores. He was no sailor: he had neither
the skill nor the vessel for sailing. But strength still lived in his
arms, and fires still burned in his heart. He turned to Sylviana.
'Have you any strength left?' he asked her. 'The current no
longer bears us ill, but I think we must still approach the Island on
our own.'
'I'm exhausted, Kalus. I feel half drowned..... Can I rest a
while first?'
'Yes. If you can steer just a little, I will try to row for both of
us.' The woman-child set her paddle listlessly in the water, steering
with it as best she could, until pride and returning stamina enjoined
her to paddle on her own.
They continued on in this way for several hours, resting at intervals,
gradually, so gradually drawing nearer the rocky shoals of the great
island. Kalus now began to search for a less dangerous strip of beach,
confident that if such could be found, by hook or by crook they would
reach it, and effect some kind of landing.
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