any other boats around. They all knew that a hurricane was coming. Hiru was wet, he was cold, he was tired, and he was afraid. The sky was dark and angry and the wind was blowing hard. The waves were throwing the boat around like children throwing a ball. The storm was getting worse, the wind was getting stronger, and the waves were getting even bigger as the minutes passed The waves were the biggest Hiru had ever seen. They were like great moving mountains of water. His eyes were red and hurt from the salt water which blew into them when he looked up. He felt sick because the waves were so big that the Elizabeth was going up and down like some wild carnival ride. They lifted the boat up as they passed under it and then dropped it like a stone. The little boat shook as it crashed down from the waves and then lay at the bottom of the wave. This was the most dangerous moment because if a wave broke over the boat, water came in. Hiru pumped the water out of the boat. But every time he did another wave broke over the boat, and Hiru had t pump the water out again. Pumping the water out was hard work, and as the waves got bigger it was taking longer and longer to pump the boat dry Hiru began to feel sick and very tired. The engine was dead: there was no hope of returning to Miami. He could not reach anyone by radio or phone: there was no hope of someone coming to help him. But he had to try and stay alive. That meant pumping the boat until the hurricane was over. How long did hurricanes last? Two days? Three? How long can I last?" Hiru wondered. He had not slept for twenty-four hours. He was hungry. He was very tired.