"Can they see us, Archie?—can they see us?" she cried. "Could not the boy climb up to the mast-head and wave something?"
"Aw, no, mem," said Archie, "they are too far aweh. They are far too far aweh. And they are not knowing we are looking towards them."
"But if we keep right on to Heimra?" said she, in her desperation. "Surely they will see we are making for the island—they will come back——"
"They would just think it was the Gillie Ciotach going out to look after the lobster-traps," said Archie.
"Not in this weather!" she urged. "Not in this weather! They must see it is something of importance. They will see the boat going out to Heimra—they are sure to come back, Archie—they are certain to come back!"
"We will hold on for Heimra if you wish it, mem—but there’s a bad sea getting up," said Archie, with his eye on those tumultuous swift-running masses of water, the crashing into which caused even this heavy craft to quiver from stem to stern. By this time the heavens had still further darkened around them—a boding gloom, accompanied, as it was, by a fitful howling of wind; while rain was falling in torrents. Not that this latter mattered very much, for they were all of them drenched to the skin by the seas that were leaping high from the lugger’s bows; only that the deluge thickened all the air, so that it became more and more difficult to catch a glimpse of the now fast-receding _Sirène_. Archie paid but little attention to the yacht; he seemed to have no hope of attracting her notice; but he was greatly distressed about the condition of the young mistress of Lochgarra.
"If I had known, mem—if I had known early in the moarning—I would hef brought something to cover you," said he, in accents of deep commiseration. "It is a great peety——"
"Never mind about that, Archie," said she. "Don’t you think they must know now that we are making for Heimra?"
"They are a long weh aweh," said Big Archie, shaking the salt water from his eyebrows and beard. "And they will be looking after themselves now. It was a stranche thing for Mr. Ross to put out with a storm coming on."
"Is there any danger, Archie?" she said, quickly. "Are they going into any danger?"
"I am not knowing what would mek Mr. Ross start out on a moarning like this," said he. "And where he is going I cannot seh. But he is one that knows the signs of the weather—aw, yes, mem!—and it is likely he will make in for Gairloch, or Loch Torridon, or mebbe he will get as far down as the back of Rona Island——