6Dawn came with a magical suddenness in the Caribbean Sea. One moment all was dark save for the stars twinkling overhead, and the next instant great pink hands swept the sable from the sky and it was day.
Haggard and hollow-eyed from lack of sleep, Rodney’s expression, as his eyes swept the sea, was echoed by every officer and man on deck and the sigh of relief which welled up in every breast was as audible as the splash of the waves against the ship’s side and the creak of the rigging as the sails bellied out above them.
There was nothing in sight. Rodney heard Barlow ejaculate, “ Praise the Lord!” and while he felt inclined to say the same, he managed to keep a dignified silence, for all that he longed to shout aloud his joy and relief.
It had been a night of unending anxiety. Almost
