It seemed to Jurgen as if the loose sand was giving way underhis feet. He did not speak a
word, but nodded his head, and that meant"yes." It was all that was necessary; but he sudd
enly felt in hisheart that he hated Martin, and the more he thought the more he feltconvin
ced that Martin had stolen away from him the only being heever loved, and that this was El
se: he had never thought of Else inthis way before, but now it all became plain to him.Whe
n the sea is rather rough, and the fishermen are coming home intheir great boats, it is wo
nderful to see how they cross the reefs.One of them stands upright in the bow of the boat,
and the otherswatch him sitting with the oars in their hands. Outside the reef itlooks as
if the boat was not approaching land but going back to sea;then the man who is standing u
p gives them the signal that the greatwave is coming which is to float them across the ree
f. The boat islifted high into the air, so that the keel is seen from the shore; thenext m
oment nothing can be seen, mast, keel, and people are allhidden- it seems as though the se
a had devoured them; but in a fewmoments they emerge like a great sea animal climbing up t
he waves, andthe oars move as if the creature had legs. The second and third reefare passe
d in the same manner; then the fishermen jump into thewater and push the boat towards the
shore- every wave helps them-and at length they have it drawn up, beyond the reach of the
breakers.A wrong order given in front of the reef- the slightesthesitation- and the boat w
ould be lost,"Then it would be all over with me and Martin too!"This thought passed throug
h Jurgen's mind one day while theywere out at sea, where his foster-father had been taken
suddenlyill. The fever had seized him. They were only a few oars' strokes fromthe reef, an
d Jurgen sprang from his seat and stood up in the bow."Father-let me come!" he said, and h
e glanced at Martin and acrossthe waves; every oar bent with the exertions of the rowers a
s thegreat wave came towards them, and he saw his father's pale face, anddared not obey th
e evil impulse that had shot through his brain. Theboat came safely across the reef to lan
d; but the evil thoughtremained in his heart, and roused up every little fibre ofbitternes
s which he remembered between himself and Martin since theyhad known each other. But he co
uld not weave the fibres together,nor did he endeavour to do so. He felt that Martin had r
obbed him, andthis was enough to make him hate his former friend. Several of thefishermen
saw this, but Martin did not- he remained as obliging andtalkative as ever, in fact he tal
ked rather too much.Jurgen's foster-father took to his bed, and it became hisdeath-bed, fo
r he died a week afterwards; and now Jurgen was heir tothe little house behind the sand-hi
lls. It was small, certainly, butstill it was something, and Martin had nothing of the kin
d."You will not go to sea again, Jurgen, I suppose," observed one ofthe old fishermen. "Yo
u will always stay with us now."