A feeling of dread would have mastered him now, but for the strong nerve that he brought to bear.  There was no help there.  They were several hundred yards now from the shore, and every moment being carried farther away.  The part they were in was hidden by the great black pile of rocks by Carn Du from the little town and harbour, so that their peril could not be seen.  It was evident, too, that the loud cries for help had not reached the ears of those about the harbour, and that no one was anywhere about the boats that swung from the buoys.  On the one side there was the open sea, on the other the piled-up granite, which rose up like hand-built buttresses, composed of vast squared masses rising tier upon tier.  At their foot the foam fretted and beat, and the forests of seaweed washed to and fro, presenting an almost impenetrable barrier to any one wishing to land; though here it was impossible, for the racing current formed another barrier, which a boat propelled by stout rowers would hardly have passed.