Explore "The Secret of the Reef" by Harold Bindloss on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
As soon as Aynsley joined her at Victoria, the handsome schooner-yacht, with its auxiliary engines, got under way. For the first day or two the wind was fair, but although she spread a good deal of canvas, Clay insisted on keeping up a full head of steam.
"She'd slip along fast enough with her propeller disconnected and the gaff-topsails set," Aynsley expostulated. "Keeping the fires going is a waste of coal."