"
The engineer could not guess that the captain's pulse was beating a
trifle more rapidly with a certain elation. They were undoubtedly
passing White Horse Island. It revealed its presence by deflecting the
tremendous sea-river which ferried the _Kansas_ onward at such a rate.
In fifteen or twenty minutes Courtenay expected to find indications of a
more northerly set of the tide, and he watched the compass intently for
the first sign of this return to the former course. If the ship crossed
the current one way or the other she would certainly be driven ashore on
some outlying spur of the island or detached sunken reef. Hence, he must
actually guess his way, with something of the acquired sense of the
blind, because the slight chance of ultimate escape for the ship and her
occupants rested wholly on the assumption that some ocean by-way was
leading her to a deep-water inlet, where it might be possible to drop the
anchor.
In eighteen minutes, or thereabouts, the needle moved slightly.
Courtenay once more assisted the ship with the helm. She steadied
herself, and the compass pointed due northeast again.
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