I told him to
shut his eyes and keep quiet, which he did without in the slightest
degree realizing the position. As for myself, his reference to chapel
made me reflect, with a sort of sick longing, on my comfortable rooms
at Cambridge. Why had I been such a fool as to leave them? This is a
reflection that has several times recurred to me since, and with an
ever-increasing force.
But now again we were drifting down on the breakers, though with
lessened speed, for the wind had fallen, and only the current or the
tide (it afterwards turned out to be the tide) was driving us.
Another minute, and with a sort of howl to Allah from the Arab, a pious
ejaculation from myself, and something that was not pious from Job,
we were in them. And then the whole scene, down to our final escape,
repeated itself, only not quite so violently. Mahomed's skilful steering
and the air-tight compartments saved our lives. In five minutes we were
through, and drifting--for we were too exhausted to do anything to
help ourselves except keep her head straight--with the most startling
rapidity round the headland which I have described.
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