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Each climb was punctuated at the top by a gallon or so of water

slopped into the dory from the crest of the wave. These influxes

became so frequent that he was obliged to bail very often.

Consequently he unshipped one oar and, crawling to the stern,

shipped the other in the notch of the sternboard.

Here he sculled with one hand so as to keep the dory's head to

the wind, and bailed with the other. Being aft, his weight caused

the water to run down to him, and he could thus perform the two

operations at the same time.

When pitch-blackness had come he knew that he was out of reach of

the schooner's horn. His only chance lay in the fog's lifting or

the passing of some schooner.