"He's turning round," shouted Jane, with hands to lips.
"Don't let him. He will upset us."
Jane yelled at the man in the launch, who--not daring to brave the seas
any longer, was slowly turning his launch about. He shook his head,
evidently thinking she was ordering him to continue. Seeing that her
words were of no avail, Crazy Jane leaped down to the forward deck and
casting the tow line from the cleat, flung it out on the water.
"Hook on the other end and tow us back if you want to. Don't you know
better than to turn us around in all this storm?" she yelled.
The boatman ran up to the stern where Harriet was doing her best to keep
the boat's head to the wind, but was slowly losing ground. She motioned
to him to keep off and beckoned to him to cast the tow line to her so
she could make it fast at that end. Harriet had forgotten that there was
no rudder at the other end. But the boatman persisted in getting up
close to the houseboat. All at once what Harriet had feared did happen.
The launch was picked up on a heavy swell and hurled against the
houseboat.
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