The shower rushed over them again, shorter and less violent than the former one, but driving in most of the crowd, and only leaving on the quay the vicar, the steward, and a few of the most anxious fishermen. They could see nothing; for the dark slanting line of rain swept over the waves, joining together the sea and thick low cloud; and the roaring of the sea and moaning of the wind were fearful. No one spoke, till at last the black edges of the Shag loomed clearer, the moon began to glance through the skirts of the cloud, and the heaving and tossing of the sea, became more discernible.
'There!--there!' shouted young Jem, the widow's son.
'The boats?'
'One!'
'Where?--where?--for heaven's sake! That's nothing!' cried Markham.
'Yes--yes! I see both,' said Jem. 'The glass! Where's Mr. Brown's glass!'
Markham was trying to fix his own, but neither hand nor eye were steady enough; he muttered,--'Hang the glass!' and paced up and down in uncontrollable anxiety. Mr. Ashford turned with him, trying to speak consolingly, and entirely liking the old man. Markham was not ungrateful, but he was almost in despair.
'It is the same over again!' said he. 'He is the age his father was, though Mr. Morville never was such as he--never--how should he? He is the last of them--the best--he would have been--he was. Would to heaven I were with him, that, if he is lost, we might all go together.'
'There, sir,' called Jem, who, being forbidden to do anything but watch, did so earnestly; 'they be as far now as opposite West Cove. Don't you see them, in that light place?'
The moon had by this time gone down, but the first great light of dawn was beginning to fall on the tall Shag, and show its fissures and dark shades, instead of leaving it one hard, unbroken mass. Now and then Jem thought he saw the boats; but never so distinctly as to convince the watchers that they had not been swamped among the huge waves that tumbled and foamed in that dangerous tract.
Mr. Ashford had borrowed Markham's telescope, and was looking towards the rock, where the shipwrecked crew had taken refuge.
'There is some one out of the boat, climbing on the rocks. Can you make him out, Jem?'
'I see--I see,' said Mr. Brown; 'there are two of them. They are climbing along the lee-side of the long ridge of rocks.'
'Ay, ay,' said old Ledbury; 'they can't get in a boat close to the flat rocks, they must take out a line. Bold fellows!'