Paddling under Palmettos — page 79: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ve: Paddling Under Palmettos. rific manner. No need to tell Archie now what was the matter, while these fearful noises were singing about his ears like mad hornets. A terrific “‘norther’” had swept down upon them like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. Already, as he sprang for the bow, he could feel the little boat drag- ging her anchor, which, with a short cable, had no grip upon the sandy bottom. He tore loose the end of the tent and looked out. Around him all was inky blackness. The wind was howling like a pack of demons let loose as it surged through the tall palmettos that, standing upon the river bank, were outlined against the sky. Overhead it was ominously gray—the stars had vanished. Archie saw that he was being swept along with -almost race-horse speed. He fancied he heard his companions shouting, but the clamor of the storm drowned their words. . Instantly he let out all the cable there was at- tached to his anchor—about fifty feet—but it was of no avail, the tent catching the terrific wind like a sail. Then he snatched up his second anchor, or left bower, rigged it, and cast it off the starboard Gomichbooksreo m