Not a moment was lost, the sail was lowered, the mast unstepped, and the oars got out, with a speed which showed how urgent was the occasion.  Archie, who did not feel confidence in his power to manager her now in such a sea, took his seat by the man on the stroke thwart, and double banked his oar.  Five minutes desperate rowing and they were under shelter of Oronsay, and were rowing more quickly up the narrow strait and towards the shore of Colonsay, where they intended to land.  A quarter of an hour more and they stepped ashore.

The old fisherman raised his hat reverently.  “Let us thank God and all the saints,” he said, “who have preserved us through such great danger.  I have been nigh fifty years at sea, and never was out in so wild a gale.”

For a few minutes all stood silent and bare headed, returning fervent thanks for their escape.

“It is well,” the old man said, as they moved inland, “that I have been so far north before; there are but few in Rathlin who have even been north of Islay, but sometimes when fish have been very plentiful in the island, and the boat for Ayr had already gone, I have taken up a boatload of fish to the good monks of Colonsay, who, although fairly supplied by their own fishermen, were yet always ready to pay a good price for them.  Had you been in a boat with one who knew not the waters, assuredly we must have perished, for neither skill nor courage could have availed us.  There! do you see that light ahead?  That is the priory, and you may be sure of a welcome there.”

The priory door was opened at their ring, and the monk who unclosed it, greatly surprised at visitors on such a night, at once bade them enter when he heard that they were fishermen whom the storm had driven to shelter on the island.  The fishermen had to lend their aid to the monk to reclose the door, so great was the power of the wind.  The monk shot the bolts, saying, “We need expect no further visitors tonight;” and led them into the kitchen, where a huge fire was blazing.

“Quick, brother Austin,” he said to the monk, who acted as cook, “warm up a hot drink for these poor souls, for they must assuredly be well nigh perished with cold, seeing that they have been wet for many hours and exposed to all the violence of this wintry gale.”

Archie and his companions were, indeed, stiff with cold and exposure, and could scarce answer the questions which the monks asked them.

“Have patience, brother! have patience!” brother Austin said.  “When their tongues are unfrozen doubtless they will tell you all that you want to know.  Only wait, I pray you, till they have drunk this posset which I am preparing.”

The monk’s curiosity was not, however, destined to be so speedily satisfied, for just as the voyagers were finishing their hot drinks a monk entered with a message that the prior, having heard that some strangers had arrived, would fain welcome and speak with them in his apartment.  They rose at once.