He felt about the boat, but could find none. 'I forgot to look for the
oars!' he said.
'They are locked in the boathouse, I suppose. Now we can only steer and
trust to the current!'
The currents here were of a complicated kind. It was true, as the girl
had said, that the tide ran round to the north, but at a special moment
in every flood there set in along the shore a narrow reflux contrary to
the general outer flow, called 'The Southern' by the local sailors. It
was produced by the peculiar curves of coast lying east and west of the
Beal; these bent southward in two back streams the up-Channel flow on
each side of the peninsula, which two streams united outside the
Beal, and there met the direct tidal flow, the confluence of the three
currents making the surface of the sea at this point to boil like a pot,
even in calmest weather. The disturbed area, as is well known, is called
the Race.
Thus although the outer sea was now running northward to the roadstead
and the mainland of Wessex 'The Southern' ran in full force towards the
Beal and the Race beyond. It caught the lovers' hapless boat in a
few moments, and, unable to row across it--mere river's width that
it was--they beheld the grey rocks near them, and the grim wrinkled
forehead of the isle above, sliding away northwards.
They gazed helplessly at each other, though, in the long-living faith
of youth, without distinct fear. The undulations increased in magnitude,
and swung them higher and lower. The boat rocked, received a smart slap
of the waves now and then, and wheeled round, so that the lightship
which stolidly winked at them from the quicksand, the single object
which told them of their bearings, was sometimes on their right hand and
sometimes on their left. Nevertheless they could always discern from it
that their course, whether stemwards or sternwards, was steadily south.
A bright idea occurred to the young man. He pulled out his handkerchief
and, striking a light, set it on fire. She gave him hers, and he made
that flare up also. The only available fuel left was the small umbrella
the girl had brought; this was also kindled in an opened state, and he
held it up by the stem till it was consumed.
The lightship had loomed quite large by this time, and a few minutes
after they had burnt the handkerchiefs and umbrella a coloured flame
replied to them from the vessel. They flung their arms round each other.
'I knew we shouldn't be drowned!' said Avice hysterically.
'I thought we shouldn't too,' said he.
With the appearance of day a boat put off to their assistance, and they
were towed towards the heavy red hulk with the large white letters on
its side.