1 
 
 
 o
 
 THE 
 
 SECRET OF THE SANDS; 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE "WATER LILY" AND HER CREW. 
 
 A NAUTICAL NOVEL. 
 
 BY 
 
 HARRY COLLING W D./j 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 VOL. I. 
 
 GRIFFITH AND FARRAN, 
 CORNER OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD, LONDON. 
 
 1879.
 
 1 1 lu Rights of Trim,. t ,]/ Reproduction art reserved.]
 
 P *7 
 
 */■ ¥-89 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 The attention of the public has been directed, on 
 more than one occasion within the last few years, 
 to voyages of a more or less lengthy character, 
 undertaken in craft of very small tonnage ; and a 
 great deal has been said and written concerning 
 the foolhardiness of such undertakings. This, 
 however, is more apparent than real, though much 
 must necessarily depend, in such voyages, on the 
 adventurer's skill as a seaman and his nerve and 
 self-possession in critical moments. Almost, .if 
 not quite, as much will also depend upon the 
 design, construction, and equipment of the craft 
 in which such an adventure is undertaken ; but 
 
 ENGIISH
 
 i v Preface. 
 
 where all these conditions are favourable, the 
 actual danger may be reduced in quite a surprising 
 degree. 
 
 Such voyages, however, if of any considerable 
 length, are sure to abound in adventure ; and, in 
 selecting one as the groundwork of my story, it 
 has been my aim to endeavour at once to make it 
 interesting and readable to those who have a liking 
 for the sea and for nautical adventure, and to con- 
 vey a few useful hints (gathered from my own 
 experience) respecting the design and manage- 
 ment of small craft, and of the precautions which 
 are so absolutely necessary in the navigating of 
 them. 
 
 But it must be distinctly understood that, in 
 selecting this subject, I have had no intention 
 whatever of advocating, or recommending, such 
 voyages, or of underrating the risks which, under 
 the most favourable circumstances, they involve ; 
 my purpose has simply been to combine a little 
 informefion with, I hope, a great deal of interest
 
 Preface. v 
 
 and amusement ; and if my book serves but to 
 while pleasantly away an idle hour or two for the 
 general reader, or conveys a scrap of useful in- 
 formation to the young yachtsman, that purpose 
 will be fully accomplished. 
 
 HARRY COLLINGWOOD. 
 October, 1878.
 
 £ 
 
 CONTENTS OF VOL. I. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 I. THE WRECK 
 II. THE SECRET 
 
 III. bob's PROPOSITION . 
 
 IV. OUR TRIAL TRIP 
 
 V. A GALE IN THE BAY OF BISCAY 
 VI. THE FATE OF THE " AMAZON " 
 
 VII. THE SEA-SERPENT . 
 VIII. bob's DREAM 
 IX. A CAPE HORN GALE 
 X. CHASED BY PIRATES 
 XI. 'THE CHASE DIVERTED 
 
 I 
 
 18 
 
 34 
 60 
 
 94 
 119 
 
 143 
 169 
 200 
 229 
 260
 
 w
 
 The Secret of the Sands, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE WRECK. 
 
 It was the last week in the month of November, 
 1 8 — , when the event occurred which proved to be 
 the ftrimum mobile of the following adventures. 
 
 The weather, for some days previous, had been 
 unusually boisterous for the time of year, and had 
 culminated, on the morning on which my story 
 opens, in a "November gale" from the south-west, 
 exceeding in violence any previous gale within the 
 memory of " the oldest inhabitant " of the locality. 
 This is saying a great deal, for I was at the time 
 living in Weymouth, a most delightful summer 
 resort, where, however, the feelings are likely to 
 be more or less harrowed every winter by fearful 
 
 vol. I. i
 
 2 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 wrecks on the far-famed and much-dreaded Chesil 
 Beach, which connects the mis-named island of 
 Portland with the mainland. 
 
 We had dined, as usual, at the primitive hour of 
 one o'clock; and with Bob Trunnion — about whom 
 I shall have more to say anon — I had turned 
 out under the verandah to enjoy our post-prandial 
 smoke, according to invariable usage. My sister 
 Ada would not permit us the indulgence of that 
 luxury indoors, and no conceivable disturbance of 
 the elements could compel us to forego it alto- 
 gether. 
 
 We were pacing the verandah side by side, 
 quarter-deck fashion, with our hands behind 
 our backs and our weeds between our teeth, 
 making an occasional remark about the weather 
 as the sheeted rain swept past us, and the trees in 
 the distance and the leaf-denuded shrubs in the 
 garden bowed before the fury of the blast, when a 
 coastguardman, whom I had occasionally encoun- 
 tered and spoken to in my rambles, came running 
 past, enveloped in oilskins and topped by a sou- 
 wester. 
 
 As he went by, seeing us, he shouted, "Ship
 
 The Wreck. 
 
 o 
 
 coming ashore in the West Bay, sir !" and was the 
 next minute at the bottom of the hill, en route, 
 as fast as his legs could carry him, for the 
 town. 
 
 Our house was situated in a pleasant suburb 
 called Rodwell ; the high-road which passed our 
 door led direct to the Smallmouth Sands, at the 
 farther extremity of which was the Chesil Beach ; 
 and we conjectured that the coastguardman had 
 come from the beach along this road to give 
 notice to the chief officer stationed in the town. 
 
 To run indoors, don our foul-weather rigging, 
 and notify my sister that we were off to the 
 scene of the anticipated wreck, was the work of a 
 moment. The next we were in the road, inclined 
 forward at an angle of forty-five degrees against 
 the wind, and staggering slowly ahead in the 
 direction of the sands. The coasto-uardman had 
 a fair wind of it, and was going a good eight knots 
 when he passed us ; but just at the top of the hill, 
 as we were exposed to the full strength of the 
 gale, we did not forge ahead at more than about 
 one knot. However, matters mended soon after, 
 for we surmounted the brow of the hill, and 
 
 -2
 
 4 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 began the descent on the opposite side ; here the 
 road took a slight bend, which brought the wind 
 well abeam ; so keeping close under the hedge to 
 windward of us, we rattled away as fast as we 
 
 COuld DfO. 
 
 After nearly an hour's severe exertion we 
 reached the beach. The vessel which was ex- 
 pected to come on shore was a full-rigged ship, 
 apparently of about eight hundred or a thousand 
 tons, and evidently a foreigner, by her build and 
 rig. Some conjectured her to be French, some 
 Spanish, and others avowed their belief that she 
 was a German; but she was still too far off, and 
 the weather too thick, to enable any one to form a 
 clear judgment as to her nationality. 
 
 "Whoever she is," said the chief boatman, "the 
 skipper of her is a downright good seaman, and 
 doesn't intend to lose his ship whilst he can do 
 anything to save her. He drove into the bay 
 about two hours ago, sir," said he turning to me, 
 " and this is the second time that he's tried to 
 fetch out again ; but, Lord ! he don't know this 
 place so well as I do, or he'd be as sartain as I be 
 that she'll never go outside o' the Hill o' Portland
 
 The Wreck. 5 
 
 again. The ship don't float that, with her sails 
 alone, could get out of the bay, once she got into 
 it, with the wind and tide the way it is now ; and 
 afore the tide turns he'll be knocked into match- 
 wood, or my name's not Joe Grummet. There 
 he comes round again," continued the man, who 
 had kept his eye on the vessel all the time he was 
 speaking; " but it's no good ; he's more 'n a mile 
 to leeward of where he fetched last time, and he'd 
 better give it up and run her ashore whilst 'tis light 
 enough to get the hands out of her, if so be as it 
 please God to let any on 'em come ashore alive." 
 
 The vessel had, as Grummet remarked, altered 
 her course ; running off rapidly before the wind, 
 and consequently towards the land ; and those 
 who knew nothing about nautical matters would 
 have supposed that her commander had at length 
 given up the contest, and was about to run her on 
 shore. 
 
 But we knew better. The vessel had merely 
 been kept away in order to wear her ; staying 
 in such a tremendous gale and sea being utterly 
 out of the question. And as we watched we saw 
 her come slowly to the wind on the opposite tack;
 
 6 The Secret of tJie Sands. 
 
 her yards were braced sharp up, her sheets flat- 
 tened in, and once more the battle for life was 
 resumed against the hostile elements. 
 
 But it was evident that the noble ship's care r 
 was ended. The operation of wearing had 
 brought her into fearful proximity with the land ; 
 and though she carried reefed mainsail and foresail 
 under close reefed topsails, and fore and main top- 
 mast staysails, it was evident that she was driving 
 to leeward at a frightful rate, and that the period of 
 her existence must now be measured in minutes. 
 
 " Now, lads ! bear a hand !" shouted Grummet, 
 " and let's signal her to run in here. The beach 
 is steeper here than anywhere within the next 
 three or four mile ; and if he happens to come in 
 on the back of a sea, he'll run up pretty near high 
 and dry; and we may get some of the poor souls 
 ashore alive, and cheat Davy Jones out of the best 
 part of his bargain this bout, anyway." 
 
 A large red bandana handkerchief was produced 
 and seized to the end of a boat-hook; this extem- 
 pore flag and staff Grummet took in his hand, and, 
 proceeding to the summit of the beach, commenced 
 waving it to and fro, to attract the attention of the
 
 The Wreck. 7 
 
 people on board the doomed ship. She was now 
 so close that we could see the two men at her 
 wheel, and a man, whom we supposed to be the 
 master, standing by the mizen rigging. 
 
 Just abaft the mainmast, and huddled together 
 under the shelter of the weather bulwarks, we 
 could see some seven or eight more of her crew, 
 and others were doubtless cowering elsewhere out 
 of si^ht. 
 
 Grummet waved his flag energetically from the 
 crest of the beach, and the coastguardmen busied 
 themselves in making such slight preparations as 
 were in their power to assist the crew in escaping 
 from the wreck. Several coils of line had been 
 brought down to the beach ; one man who an- 
 nounced himself to be a good swimmer, had secured 
 an end of the smallest of these to his waist ; he 
 now stood prepared to divest himself of all his 
 superfluous clothing at a moment's notice, and to 
 attempt the hazardous experiment of rushing into 
 the boiling surf, to drag out any poor unfortunate 
 whom he might be able to reach. Others were 
 engaged in various ways in preparing themselves 
 to render what assistance was in their power, when
 
 8 The Secret of tJic Sands. 
 
 a cry from Grummet announced that the crisis 
 had arrived ; on looking up we saw that the 
 stranger's fore topmast had gone in the cap ; and 
 now hung to leeward, with the topsail and topmast 
 staysail thrashing to ribbons ; the latter threaten- 
 ing at every jerk to take the bowsprit out of the 
 ship. The foresail was also split from head to 
 foot ; and, even as we looked, the overstrained 
 canvas gave way, and, fluttering for a moment in 
 the furious gale, parted from the bolt-ropes, and 
 came flying like a shred of cloud to leeward. 
 
 The ship, thus deprived of her head-sail, luffed 
 into the wind ; and the moment that the rest of 
 her canvas shook, away it came also, leaving her 
 helpless and unmanageable, with the sea sweeping 
 her deck fore and aft. 
 
 " Now stand by, men," shouted Grummet, 
 " and each one do his best for the poor souls ; for 
 they were never nearer to death's door than they 
 will be in another two minutes. If he had run 
 her stem on to the beach they might have stood 
 a chance ; but I fear it is all over with them now, 
 for she'll come ashore broadside on, and all on us 
 knows what that means."
 
 The Wreck. 9 
 
 Fortunately, the catastrophe had happened 
 immediately to windward of that part of the 
 beach on which we stood; a spot, as Grummet 
 had observed, where the shipwrecked crew would 
 have a better chance of reaching the shore alive 
 than they would have had if stranded on any 
 other part of it for some miles on either side ; but 
 the loss of their sails had rendered the prospect 
 of their escape considerably less than it would 
 have been had they been able to watch their 
 chance, sail the ship in on the crest of a wave, 
 and so beach her. 
 
 The next half minute or so was one of most 
 intense and painful excitement to us spectators on 
 shore. Each man moved nearer to the water, 
 and cast off some article of clothingf, or gave a 
 last look to the line, or a final adjustment to the 
 life-buoy round his waist. For myself, I had 
 stripped off my jacket and waistcoat, and placed 
 them, together with my hat, in the hands of my 
 friend Bob, who could not swim ; and I now stood 
 with the end of a line, knotted into a bowline, in 
 my hand, ready to do anything which the 
 emergency of the moment might require.
 
 io The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 The master of the vessel appeared to be aware 
 of our intention, and the meaning of the signal 
 which Grummet had shown ; and as it was now 
 impossible to run the ship stem on upon the 
 beach, he did the next best thing; and waving 
 his hand to the men who, like true seamen, still 
 stuck to the wheel, they put the helm hard up, 
 that she might come in stern on. 
 
 The manoeuvre was partial 1)' successful ; but 
 unfortunately she came ashore between two seas ; 
 and the undertow of the one taking her stern, 
 whilst the succeeding sea struck her bow, she fell 
 broadside to in an instant, her three masts went 
 by the board, and the sea made a clean breach 
 over her. 
 
 One poor fellow was seen to leap overboard at 
 the moment that the ship struck ; and half-a-dozen 
 of the men on the beach rushed down into the 
 water, making frantic efforts to get at him. But 
 he could not swim ; and those who tried to reach 
 him were flung back, bruised and senseless, upon 
 the beach, only to be dragged away again as the 
 sea receded ; and had it not been for the ropes 
 and life-buoys round their waists, by which their
 
 The Wreck. 1 1 
 
 comrades hauled them on shore, they must have 
 lost their lives. As it was, one of them, in 
 some way or other, got out of the life-buoy, and 
 we saw him swept away almost from our very feet. 
 
 I was an expert swimmer ; and as soon as I 
 saw the poor fellow being swept away, I slipped 
 my head and shoulders through the bowline knot 
 I held in my hand, dashed into the surf, and, 
 resorting to my usual tactics of diving through 
 the breakers, managed to get hold of the man 
 with one hand, while I raised the other above 
 my head, as a signal to those on shore to haul 
 away upon their end of the line. 
 
 As soon as I felt the line tighten round me, 
 I grasped the man round the body, and in 
 another moment we were both on the beach, in 
 the arms of those who had run down to meet us. 
 By these we were dragged up out of reach of the 
 sea, and, on staggering to my feet, I had the 
 satisfaction of seeing the man who had jumped 
 overboard from the wreck bein^ hauled on board 
 again. 
 
 Loud were the thanks and praises I received 
 for my conduct in bringing the other on shore ;
 
 12 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 but without waiting to listen to them, I hastily 
 explained that I would try to take a line on board 
 the wreck, as, if I could succeed in this, there 
 might possibly be some chance of saving the 
 major portion, if not the whole of the crew. 
 Accordingly I dashed into the surf once more ; 
 and at length, after the most superhuman efforts, 
 though the distance was barely thirty yards, I 
 reached the ship's side, and was drawn on board 
 by a line which her crew threw to me. The men 
 crowded round me, rapidly talking in some 
 language which I could not understand, and 
 looking as much relieved as though I had the 
 power of taking- them all on my back at once, 
 and swimming- on shore with them. I stood for a 
 moment to recover my breath ; and at the same 
 time looked about to see what resources might be 
 at my command. I noticed a towing hawser 
 coiled away upon what had originally been the 
 deckhouse forward, but which was now stove in 
 and battered almost out of recognition. An eye 
 was spliced in one end of this hawser; and taking 
 it up, I signed to the men to pass it over the 
 stump of the foremast.
 
 The Wreck. \-\ 
 
 j 
 
 They understood me, and, seeing my object 
 in wishing it done, they had it over in a 
 twinkling; in another moment, they had the 
 heavy coil capsized, the other end bent on 
 to the line which I had broueht on board 
 with me, and were paying it rapidly over the 
 side. 
 
 As I turned to address the master of the vessel, 
 who, I noticed as I was hauled up the side, was 
 then standing at the break of the poop, issuing 
 instructions to his crew, I saw him in the act of 
 descending the poop-ladder, and I stepped to- 
 wards him. At this moment the ship was lifted 
 up by a perfect mountain of a sea, and hove over 
 on her beam-ends ; all hands of us were flung- 
 violently to leeward ; and before apparently any of 
 us had time to recover our feet, another sea swept 
 down upon us; there was a terrific — an ear-split- 
 ting crash, a wild, agonised cry, and I found 
 myself clear of the wreck, struggling wildly for life, 
 with the body of the master within arm's length 
 of me. 
 
 He was apparently dead, and floating face 
 downwards ; but I grasped him by the hair,
 
 14 TIi c Secret of tlic Sands. 
 
 turned him on his back, and struck out for the 
 beach. Twice were we flung like corks upon the 
 pebbles of the strand, and twice dragged off into 
 deep water again by the merciless undertow. The 
 first time I dug my fingers, knees, and the toes of 
 my boots into the pebbles, in the hope of bringing 
 myself and my senseless charge to an anchor; but 
 I might as well have attempted to grasp the air. 
 The whole of that portion of the beach which was 
 exposed to the action of the sea was avast moving 
 mass, the shingle being alternately thrown up and 
 sucked back again in tons, as the water hurled 
 itself high upon the beach and then rushed back 
 into the foaming abyss. 
 
 The second time we were thrown up with 
 such violence that I was stunned ; but the third 
 time the brave fellows on the beach, who had 
 been making the most frantic efforts to <ret 
 at us, would take no denial. They watched 
 their chance, and as they saw us again drifting in 
 two, with ropes round their waists, rushed into the 
 sea, grasped us, one each, firmly round the body ; 
 and, though they were lifted off their feet and 
 dragged away to seaward like feathers by the
 
 The Wreck. i 5 
 
 retiring breaker, never let go their hold until we 
 were hauled up high and dry, clear beyond the 
 reach of the heaviest wave. 
 
 The efforts made to restore me to conscious- 
 ness were soon successful, but my fellow-sufferer, 
 the master of the vessel, appeared to be seriously 
 injured. It was nearly half an hour before the 
 faintest signs of returning animation were per- 
 ceived; and when at length consciousness returned, 
 the poor fellow appeared to be suffering the most 
 excruciating agony. 
 
 As soon as I was once more able to look about 
 me, I found that the wave which had washed the 
 master and me overboard, had broken the wreck 
 in two just abaft the mainmast, flinging the stern 
 portion much nearer the shore, whilst it had turned 
 the other half fairly bottom up, precipitating, of 
 course, all the poor fellows, who were so busy 
 paying out the hawser, into the sea. The people 
 on the beach watched eagerly for their reappear- 
 ance above water, but not one of them was ever 
 seen again. It afterwards transpired that there 
 was not a swimmer amongst the entire crew, 
 which, all told, amounted to fifteen hands.
 
 1 6 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 The intelligence of a wreck had attracted a 
 large concourse of people to the spot, notwith- 
 standing the discomfort attendant on being abroad 
 in so violent a gale ; and one gentleman had taken 
 upon himself to despatch omnibuses from the 
 town, well supplied with blankets, etc., for the 
 relief and benefit of any poor sufferers who might 
 reach the shore alive. Into one of these vehicles 
 the unfortunate master of the ship was now placed 
 with the utmost care, a couch being extemporised 
 for him in the bottom of the 'bus by piling to- 
 gether all the blankets which had been sent. In 
 spite, however, of the utmost care in driving, the 
 jolts were frequent, and sometimes rather heavy, 
 and the poor fellow's groans indicated such in- 
 tensity of suffering, that by the time we were 
 half way to town I decided I would take him to 
 my own house, whereby he would be spared 
 nearly half an hour of anguish. 
 
 It fortunately happened that, just as I had come 
 to this resolution, a gentleman rode up, and learn- 
 ing who we had inside, volunteered his services. 
 I immediately accepted them, desiring him to 
 ride back to the town, and despatch to my house;
 
 The Wreck. 17 
 
 the ablest physician he could find. When the 
 'bus drew up at our door, the doctor was there in 
 readiness for his patient, whom we lifted out, appar- 
 ently in the last stage of exhaustion, and carried 
 carefully into the house and upstairs into my own 
 room, where my sister (advertised by Bob, who 
 had made the best of his way home on foot) had 
 a cheerful fire blazing in the grate, hot water in 
 abundance, and everything else ready that her 
 womanly sympathy could suggest. 
 
 vol. 1.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE SECRET. 
 
 The doctor remained with the sick man more 
 than half an hour; and when I heard his footstep 
 descending the staircase I went out and met 
 him. 
 
 " The poor fellow is sinking rapidly," said he, 
 in reply to my inquiries ; " he has received severe 
 internal injuries, and is bleeding to death inwardly. 
 I can do nothing, absolutely nothing for him. 
 Keep him quiet, and humour him as much as you 
 can ; excitement of any kind will only hasten his 
 dissolution." I cheerfully promised to do all I 
 could for the dying man ; and the doctor took his 
 leave, promising to call again the last thing in the 
 evening. 
 
 As soon as the doctor was out of the house I 
 went upstairs and into the sick-room, where I found
 
 The Secret. 19 
 
 the patient in bed, and Bob, with his boots off, 
 gliding as quietly about the room as a trained 
 hospital nurse, doing all he could to contribute to 
 the comfort of his charge. 
 
 The opening of the door attracted the sick 
 man's attention, and he feebly turned his head in 
 my direction. As soon as he recognised me, he 
 beckoned me to approach ; and I drew a chair to 
 the side of the bed, asking him how he felt. 
 
 " Like one whose moments are numbered ;" 
 replied he in perfectly pure English, but with a 
 sonorous ring in the articulation of the words, 
 which betrayed the fact that he was not speaking 
 in his mother tongue. " Senor," he continued, "I 
 am dying ; the doctor has candidly told me so, 
 though I needed no such assurance from him. 
 The dreadful pangs which shoot through my 
 tortured frame, are such as no man could long 
 endure and live. I am a true Catholic, senor, 
 and I would fain see a priest, or some good 
 man of my own creed ; that I may confess, and 
 clear my guilty soul from the stains which a life of 
 sinful indulgence and contempt of Heaven's laws 
 has polluted it with. I know there are many of 
 
 2 — 2
 
 20 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 my faith in England, it may be that there are 
 some in tin's place. Know yon of any such ?" 
 
 I replied that there certainly was a Catholic 
 church in the town, but it was situated at some 
 distance from the house in which he now lay ; 
 consequently it would perhaps be an hour before 
 the priest could be found and brought to him ; 
 " but," added I, " I will send for him forthwith, and 
 until he arrive I will sit here and keep you com- 
 pany." 
 
 So saying, I called Bob on one side, and directed. 
 him to proceed, as quickly as possible, into town, 
 and brine the Reverend Father without a moment's 
 delay, to the house. 
 
 As soon as Bob had departed, I resumed my 
 seat by ihe bedside. Extending his burning hand 
 towards me, he clasped mine, and endeavoured to 
 raise it to his lips. " Senor," said he, "since it 
 is the will of God that I am to die, 1 can but bow 
 to that will in submission; but I would I could 
 have been spared for a few years to testify my 
 gratitude to you for your brave and noble efforts 
 in behalf of my crew and myself— my poor people, 
 my poor people," he sobbed — " all, all lost !"
 
 The Secret. 21 
 
 He was silent for nearly five minutes; and I took 
 advantage of the opportunity to explain to him 
 that what I had done was no more than any other 
 Englishman would do if he had the power, under 
 similar circumstances ; that such conduct was 
 thought nothing of among our nation ; being re- 
 garded as simply a duty which each man owed to 
 every other, in like circumstances of distress with 
 his own. 
 
 " I know — I know," replied he, " the English 
 are as generous as they are brave ; but still I 
 would I had it in my power to express my thanks 
 otherwise than in words. But I am alone in the 
 world which I am so soon to leave. Not one 
 have I of my own name or blood to whom I can 
 bequeath my debt of gratitude ; and when my ship 
 went to pieces to-day (she was my own property, 
 senor), I became a beggar. I have not so much 
 property left as will pay the expenses of my burial ; 
 and here I lie, indebted to a stranger, and that 
 stranger a foreigner, for the shelter which covers 
 my dying head, as I soon shall be for the coffin 
 and the grave which await my lifeless clay." 
 
 I was beginning to say something, with the in-
 
 22 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 tention of diverting his mind from so painful a 
 train of thought, when lie interrupted me eagerly. 
 "And yet," continued he, "poor as I am, it is 
 in my power to make you rich — ay, beyond the ut- 
 most scope of your imagination. And I will, I will ! 
 Why should I take this secret to the grave with 
 me ? In a few hours I shall be beyond the want 
 of earthly riches, but you, senor, are young, and 
 look forward to a long life ; doubtless, like 
 other men, you have already indulged in many a 
 bright day-dream which the possession of wealth 
 would go far to realise. Listen, gentil senor ; I 
 must be brief, for I feel that I have no time to 
 lose. I have been shipwrecked once before. It 
 is now nearly three years ago since I sailed from 
 Valparaiso for Canton, whence we were to pro- 
 ceed to Bombay, and so home round the Cape of 
 Good Hope. I was then chief mate. We met 
 with nothing' but calms for the first three weeks of 
 our passage, after which the weather changed, 
 and we had a succession of adverse gales until we 
 w<re within fifteen degrees of the line. Here we 
 were worse off than ever, for at one moment we 
 were lying in a glassy calm, and perhaps in five
 
 1 he Secret. 23 
 
 minutes afterwards were under close-reefed canvas, 
 or possibly bare poles. At length a furious squall 
 threw the ship on her beam -ends, and we were 
 compelled to cut away all three of her masts to 
 save her from foundering. And then the squall 
 settled down into a perfect hurricane, and we 
 could do nothing but suffer the ship to drive dead 
 before it. Near midnight we were flung violently 
 to the deck by a tremendous shock. The ship 
 was on shore, dashing her bottom out upon the 
 rocks. And it was so dark, senor, that we were 
 unable to see each other. Oh ! the horror of that 
 night ; it is as fresh upon me now as it was at the 
 moment that it happened." 
 
 The poor fellow's face was streaming with 
 perspiration. I begged he would not distress 
 himself by recalling such painful recollections, but 
 in spite of my remonstrance he continued his 
 story. 
 
 " The ship broke up beneath our feet, and I 
 found myself swimming, I knew not where, in the 
 midst of a quantity of floating wreck, to a piece of 
 which I clung. I was surrounded on every side 
 by breakers ; but not far from me I could per-
 
 24 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 ceive, by the absence of the phosphorescence, that 
 the water was smooth. I urged myself, and the 
 plank to which I clung - , in that direction, and soon 
 reached the smooth water ; after which I suffered 
 myself to drift. The water was quite warm, and 
 I experienced no inconvenience whatever from 
 my immersion. After the lapse of perhaps an 
 hour, possibly more, I felt the ground beneath my 
 feet, and staggering out of the water, I flung my- 
 self upon the dry land, and, notwithstanding the 
 howling of the wind and the roar of the breakers, 
 I fell into a deep and dreamless sleep. 
 
 " When I awoke the sun was beating fiercely 
 down upon my uncovered head ; the sky was 
 cloudless ; and a calm had succeeded to the gale 
 of the night before. I rose to my feet, and on 
 looking about me, discovered that I had been cast 
 upon one of those coral islands which so thickly 
 stud some portions of the Pacific. I was — as I 
 am now — the only one who escaped the wreck 
 alive. The bodies of my shipmates lay scattered 
 along the shore ; and a long and arduous day was 
 spent in burying them where they lay, in such 
 shallow graves as I could scoop in the sand with
 
 The Secret. 25 
 
 the aid of a piece of splintered plank. The beach 
 was strewed with wreckage which had been 
 washed over the reef and into the smooth water; and 
 I was overjoyed to find amongst this the long-boat, 
 perfectly uninjured. In her I visited the scene of 
 the wreck; and there, after diligent search, I found 
 the means and a sufficiency of appropriate ma- 
 terials to enable me to fit her for a lengthened 
 voyage. 
 
 " I was more than two months on the island 
 before my preparations were complete, for life was 
 very enjoyable in that delightful spot, and I felt in 
 no hurry to get away. At length, whilst walking 
 along the beach one evening, my attention was 
 attracted to three or four pieces of old, worm- 
 eaten, weather-worn timber, which I had often 
 noticed before, projecting above the sand ; and 
 curiosity now impelled me to walk up to and 
 examine them. A careful scrutiny revealed to 
 me that they lormed part of the framework of 
 a ship ; and I resolved that I would return the 
 next day and ascertain whether what I saw was 
 merely a detached piece of wreck, or whether the 
 entire hull lay there embedded in the sand.
 
 26 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 "The next morning I repaired to the spot, 
 armed with a primitive substitute for a shovel, 
 which I had contrived to manufacture, and an iron 
 bolt, to serve the purpose of a crow-bar, which I 
 had procured the previous night by burning it out 
 of a piece of wreck. I had worked for perhaps 
 an hour, when I reached some planking, which I 
 immediately recognised as the deck of the ship. 
 This I proceeded to clear of sand, uncovering the 
 deck in an extending circle from the spot where I 
 had first encountered it, until I had an area of 
 about fifteen or sixteen feet laid bare. And now 
 I met with a breach in the deck ; so instead of 
 clearing away further, I began to dig down again. 
 I toiled thus for four days, senor ; by which time 
 I had discovered that the wreck was that of a 
 small vessel, of perhaps one hundred and thirty 
 tons (though, small as she was, she had been built 
 with a full poop) ; that she was a very ancient craft 
 indeed ; and that her car^ro consisted of nothing 
 but gold, senor, that is, with the solitary exception 
 of a strong wooden box (which, even after so long an 
 interment, offered considerable resistance to my 
 efforts to open it), containing an assortment of what
 
 The Secret. 27 
 
 I took to be pebbles of different kinds, but which 
 I afterwards found were unpolished gems. Yes, 
 senor ; there lay the gold in ingots, each wrapped 
 in matting, and each ingot as much in weight as I 
 could well lift. The matting was decayed in the 
 first three or four tiers, and the metal discoloured 
 almost to blackness ; but towards the centre of the 
 cargo (which is, probably, not more than twelve 
 tiers deep altogether), the matting, though so 
 rotten that it crumbled to dust as I touched it, had 
 preserved the colour of the metal ; and there it 
 lay, bar after bar, gleaming with the dull yellow 
 lustre peculiar to virgin gold. 
 
 " I ballasted my boat entirely with ingots ; 
 selecting the most discoloured I could reach, so 
 that they might be less easily recognisable as 
 gold, and the risk I ran of being ultimately robbed 
 of them reduced in the same proportion. I also 
 took a few of the pebbles (as I thought them) out 
 of the box ; after which I set to work to cover in 
 the whole once more. I completed my task by 
 burning down the timbers which had at first 
 attracted my attention (and which I found were a 
 portion of her stern frame), so that nothing
 
 28 The Secret of tlic Sands. 
 
 remained above the surface of the sand to betray 
 the whereabouts of my treasure. I then carefully 
 marked the spot in such a manner that I could 
 find it again ; and completed my preparations for 
 departure with all speed. 
 
 " I had been at sea ten days, when I was taken 
 ill. Whether it was the effect of excitement or 
 exposure I know not ; but I fell into a raging 
 fever, which left me almost at the point of death. 
 I was so weak that I had not strength to crawl to 
 the water-cask ; and the feeble efforts I made to 
 reach it so exhausted me that at length I fell in a 
 swoon to the bottom of the boat. In this con- 
 dition I was discovered by a passing ship, the 
 crew of which took me on board ; but, as a smart 
 breeze happened to be blowing at the time, they 
 would not wait to hoist in my boat ; and she was 
 set adrift with enough irold on board her to have 
 purchased a principality. 
 
 " Regrets were useless, and the loss, heavy as 
 it was, troubled me little ; I knew where to find 
 sufficient to satisfy my utmost needs. At length 
 I reached home, and, by the merest accident, 
 bethought myself one day of my pebbles. I
 
 The Secret. 29 
 
 suspected they were valuable, or they would not 
 have been found where they were. Judge of my 
 surprise when I learned that the four I had left 
 (for I lost the rest somewhere) were worth a 
 sufficient sum to enable me to do exactly what I 
 wished ; viz., buy a ship of my own. I did so ; 
 and was on my way in her to my treasure- 
 island, when the gale sprung up which has 
 reduced me to my present condition. 
 
 " And now, senor, I am about to put you in 
 possession of such information as will enable you 
 to find my island. It is in latitude about — S., 
 and in longitude about — W., as nearly as I had 
 the means of ascertaining ; and is uninhabited, 
 and, I should say, unknown ; for during my entire 
 stay there, I never observed one solitary sign of 
 man's foot having ever pressed the soil. You will 
 readily recognise the island from the fact that it 
 has a remarkable isolated group of seven cocoa- 
 nut trees growing closely together on the extreme 
 northernmost point of the island. The central 
 tree of this group, and one of the others, bears a 
 mark (made by the removal of a piece of bark) as 
 large as a man's two hands. When you have
 
 30 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 j 
 
 identified these trees, walk away from them, 
 keeping' them in one, until you open, clear of the 
 trees on the southern end of the island, a portion 
 of the reef which you will observe just rising 
 above the water's edge. When you have done 
 this, you will be standing, as nearly as possible, 
 immediately above the hole in the deck of the 
 wnck, through which I burrowed to her golden 
 
 cargo." 
 
 The Spaniard (for such I found him to be) 
 then went on to describe the manner in which I 
 should find the passage through the reef into the 
 lagoon, giving me as much information as he 
 could from memory of the various dangers to be 
 avoided. He had carefully prepared a chart of 
 the channel before leaving the island ; but this 
 was on board the vessel he had just lost. 
 
 I could see that the excitement produced by so 
 much talking was fearfully reducing his strength, 
 and I more than once endeavoured to persuade 
 him to postpone the completion of his narrative, 
 but he was sensible that he had but a short time 
 to live, and so anxious was he to give me all the 
 information necessary to enable me to discover
 
 The Secret. 31 
 
 this strangely buried treasure, that my endeavour 
 to stop him did more harm even than the talking, 
 so I was compelled perforce to suffer him to 
 proceed. And though I felt it my duty to urge 
 him not to excite himself, I must confess that I 
 was deeply interested to learn how I might 
 become possessed of the wealth to which he 
 had referred in such glowing terms ; for since it 
 was manifest that he could not live to enjoy it 
 himself, and as he had declared he had no 
 relative in the world, I thought I might as well 
 become his heir. 
 
 He continued to talk for some time longer, until 
 he had explained to me everything he could think 
 of which would facilitate my efforts to reach the 
 buried treasure ; and then, with a sigh of mingled 
 exhaustion and relief, he closed his eyes, and 
 seemed to sink into a half sleep, from which he 
 roused himself at frequent intervals, to crave the 
 refreshment of a draught of lemonade. 
 
 At length the sound of carriage wheels was 
 heard ; and almost immediately afterwards Bob 
 returned, accompanied by the Catholic priest. The 
 sick man opened his eyes, and feebly welcomed
 
 77ie Secret of the Sands. 
 
 o 
 
 the <rood old man who had so readily answered 
 his appeal for spiritual consolation. I then retired, 
 leaving them alone to cn^a^e in the most solemn 
 rite appertaining to their religion. 
 
 Rather more than an hour elapsed before I was 
 recalled to the sick-room. When I stood once 
 more at the bedside of the dying Spaniard, I saw 
 that he had but a few minutes longer to live. He 
 was so weak, the clergyman said, that it was with 
 the utmost difficulty he had succeeded in express- 
 ing his wish to see me a^ain before he died. 
 
 As I drew near his eye brightened, and a faint 
 smile of welcome lighted up his face. His lips 
 moved, but so faint was the whisper which escaped 
 them, that I was obliged to bow my face close to 
 his ere I could distinguish the words. With a 
 painful effort he gasped, " Senor, promise me that, 
 if you succeed, you will have two hundred masses 
 said for my soul ?" 
 
 When I assured him that his request should be 
 faithfully complied with, the contracted brow re- 
 laxed ; the expression of anxiety vanished ; and in 
 its place a smile of satisfaction and perfect happi- 
 ness slowly spread itself over the pinched and
 
 The Secret. 33 
 
 pallid features, where, the next moment, it was 
 indelibly fixed by the hand of death. 
 
 I have dwelt at such length upon this introduc- 
 tory episode of my story that I must now " turn 
 the hands up and make sail" in earnest, for we 
 have a voyage of many thousands of miles before 
 us ; and, like all thorough seamen, having once 
 shipped for the voyage, we are impatience personi- 
 fied until the anchor is atrip, the canvas sheeted 
 home, the watch set, and the lively little barkie 
 dashing merrily away over the heaving billows, 
 her snowy canvas gleaming in the setting sun, and 
 the cliffs of Old England fast fading into purple 
 mist astern. 
 
 vol. 1.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 BOBS PROPOSITION. 
 
 After we bad reverently laid the Spaniard to rest 
 in his alien grave, I gave my friend Bob a full and 
 accurate account of all that had passed, showing 
 him at the same time the copious notes I had, 
 at the earliest opportunity, jotted down to assist 
 and refresh my memory in case I should ever find 
 myself in a position to seek the hidden treasure 
 
 But it is now necessary that I should introduce 
 the dramatis persona who have already cast their 
 shadows on the curtain ; and this I will do with 
 all possible brevity. 
 
 " Place (nix dames." Ada Collingwood, my dar- 
 ling and only sister, was at this time approaching 
 her sevente< nth year, and was a dainty specimen
 
 Bob's Proposition. 35 
 
 of lovely girlhood just budding into still lovelier 
 womanhood. Her figure was petite, promising 
 in due time to develope into the most fault- 
 less perfection of shape : and her laughing blue 
 eyes and rich profusion of silky golden hair set off 
 to perfection a face which, perhaps, no one would 
 have dreamed of calling beautiful, any more than 
 they would have dreamed of denying that it was 
 charmingly piquant, and irresistibly pretty. Her 
 temper was equable ; she was gifted with a rich 
 flow of animal spirits, and a keen perception of the 
 ludicrous, which would have upset the gravity of 
 the most confirmed hypochondriac. 
 
 Nevertheless, if occasion required it, her merry 
 ringing laugh could be hushed, her joyous elasticity 
 of movement could be subdued, and no one better 
 than she could assume the role of the sick-nurse, 
 or the tender and sympathising confidante 
 of distress. And lastly, she adored, with a 
 blind unreasoning idolatry for which there w T as 
 no excuse, your humble servant, her unworthy 
 brother. 
 
 Of myself, it becomes me not to say very much. 
 I was just turned twenty-one : six feet high : and
 
 6 
 
 6 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 vanity whispered, in confirmation of my sister's 
 energetic and oft-repeated assertions, a trifle more 
 than moderately good-looking. I was an only son 
 (as my sister was an only daughter), and I had 
 received my education at the Royal Naval School 
 at Greenwich, with the understanding that I was 
 to join my father on its completion, when he would 
 continue and finish what is there so well begun, 
 thus making me "every inch a sailor." 
 
 On leaving school I joined my father (who was 
 master and part owner of a fine dashing clipper), 
 in tlie capacity of midshipman, and went some six 
 or sevi m . ;es with him: on the last of which, 
 
 or rather a few days after its termination, I was 
 seized with a violent attack of rheumatic fever, 
 from which I had not recovered sufficiently to re- 
 join the ship by the time that she was once more 
 read)' for sea. I was consequently left at home 
 under Ada's care (my dear mother had been dead 
 some years), to recover at leisure, and amuse myself 
 as well as I could, until another voyage should be 
 accomplished, and an opportunity once more 
 offend for me to repossess myself of my quarters 
 in the old familiar berth. That opportunity never
 
 Bob's Proposition. $j 
 
 arrived, for at the time my story opens, my father 
 had been two years " missing." He sailed from 
 Canton with the first cargo of the new season's 
 teas, and from the moment that the good ship 
 disappeared seaward she had never been heard of; 
 not the faintest trace of a clue to the mystery of 
 her fate having, so far, been discovered. 
 
 BobTrunnionwas a middle-aged man, of medium 
 stature, great personal strength, and no very 
 marked pretensions to beauty ; but he was as 
 thorough an old sea-dog as ever looked upon salt 
 water. His visage was burnt to a deep brick-red 
 by years of exposure to all sorts of weather ; and 
 his hair and beard, which had once been brown, 
 were now changed to the hue of old oakum by the 
 same process, except where, here and there, a 
 slight sprinkling of grey discovered itself. He 
 had been a sailor almost all his life ; having "crept 
 in through the hawse-pipe" when he was only 
 twelve years old ; since when, by close application 
 and perseverance, he had gradually worked his 
 way aft to the quarter-deck. He joined my father's 
 ship as second mate, on the same voyage as I did, 
 and on the following voyage took the chief mate's
 
 3S The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 berth, in place of a man whom my father was 
 compelled to discharge for confirmed drunken- 
 ness. 
 
 The last time that my poor father passed down 
 Channel, outward bound, Bob had the misfortune 
 (as we thought it then), to fall off the poop and 
 break his arm. It was what the sun- eons call a 
 compound fracture, and certainly looked to be a 
 very ugly one ; so, as the ship happened at the 
 time to be off St. Albans Head, my father ran into 
 Weymouth roads, and sent Bob ashore to our 
 house to be cured, and to bear me company ; ship- 
 ping in his stead the second mate, and picking up 
 a new second mate somewhere about the town. 
 
 Thus it happened that Bob and I, old shipmates 
 as we were, happened to be both away from our 
 ship when her mysterious fate overtook her. As 
 soon as we were both recovered, we sought and 
 obtained berths, always in the same ship, for short 
 voyages; returning home about once in every six 
 weeks or two months, with the hope of hearing 
 either that my father had returned, or that some 
 news had arrived of him. For the last twelve 
 months we had abandoned the former hope, but
 
 Bob's Proposition. 39 
 
 the latter would probably be many years before it 
 finally took its flight. 
 
 This introduction and explanation are necessary 
 to the understanding of what is to follow ; and 
 now, having fairly weathered them both, we may 
 take up the thread of the story, and follow it out 
 to the end without further interruption. 
 
 I have already said that I took an early oppor- 
 tunity to give Bob a detailed account of the 
 Spaniard's revelation to me. This was on the 
 evening of the day on which we laid the poor 
 fellow in his grave ; and I told my story while we 
 and my sister were seated comfortably round the 
 fire after tea, with the curtains drawn close, and 
 everything made snug for the night. 
 
 Bob listened with the utmost attention to my 
 story (as did also my sister), occasionally request- 
 ing me to " say that ag'in," as some point in the 
 narrative was reached which he wished to bear 
 particularly in mind ; and when I had finished he 
 sat for some time staring meditatively between the 
 bars of the grate.
 
 40 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 At length, " Well, Harry, my lad, what do you 
 
 intend to do ?" said he. 
 
 " That," replied I, "is just the point upon which 
 I want your advice. If this story be true- 
 
 " No fear about that," said Bob. "It's true 
 enough. The thing's as plain and circumstantial 
 as the ship's course when it's pricked off upon the 
 chart. There ain't a kink in the yarn from end 
 to end ; it's all coiled down as neat and snug as a 
 new hawser in the ropemaker's yard ; and besides, 
 dyin' men don't spin yarns with no truth in 'em, 
 just for divarsion's sake like." 
 
 "Well," said I, " I am disposed, with you, to 
 think that the story is quite true ; the man could 
 have no object in telling it if it were not so. The 
 question is, what is to be done in the matter?" 
 
 " Done !" exclaimed Ada, " why, what should 
 lie done, Harry, except that you go to this island, 
 dig up the gold, bring it home, and live like a 
 gentleman ever afterwards?" 
 
 This was Ada's great ambition ; that I should 
 be placed in the position of a gentleman. She 
 had a theory — whence derived I know not — that 
 it was my destiny to become a man of unbounded
 
 Bob's Proposition. 41 
 
 means ; and that my life was to be passed in an 
 atmosphere of splendour and luxury only equalled 
 by that enjoyed by the most favoured heroes of the 
 "Arabian Nights." And this was an entirely dis- 
 interested feeling on her part too ; for though she 
 would often laughingly prophesy what would 
 happen "when I should become a rich man," I 
 never knew her to utter a word which suggested 
 the idea that she would in any way be a gainer by 
 my acquisition of wealth. 
 
 " More easily said than done, pet," replied I, 
 patting her soft cheek. " What is to become of 
 you whilst I am gone ?" 
 
 "Why, I shall stay here with Mrs. Moseley (our 
 housekeeper) until your return, and be the first to 
 welcome you back," said she. 
 
 " Well," replied I, " I think suitable arrange- 
 ments for your comfort and safety could be 
 made without much difficulty ; but," said I, appeal- 
 ing to Bob, " how is this gold to be got at and 
 brought home in safety ? I have not the means of 
 purchasing a ship of my own ; and if I had, do you 
 think it would be safe to trust so much treasure 
 with a crew, picked up though ever so carefully ?"
 
 42 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 " Ah ! now you 'pawls me," replied Bob, rubbing 
 the back of his head reflectively. " I've sailed 
 with crews as you might ha' trusted with untold 
 gold, at least I've thowt so at the time I was with 
 'em ; but mayhap, if temptation was throwed in 
 their way, they mightn't be able to stand out agin 
 it ; there's no gettin' to the bottom o' the heart o' 
 man. As to the ship, that's easy enough. If you 
 ain't got the cash to buy, you can always charter!' 
 
 " True," said I, "and if I could make sure of 
 finding a sufficient number of thorough £ood men, 
 that is the course I should be inclined to pursue. 
 Do you think, Bob, that by diligent search we 
 could find some six or eight really reliable men ? 
 The craft need not be a large one, you know — 
 
 " There you've hit the solution of the enigmy, 
 as the schoolmaster said," replied Bob, bringing 
 his clenched fist down upon my knee with an 
 emphasis which impressed me for the remainder 
 of the evening : " How much of that e^old now do 
 you reckon would make your fortune, lad? 
 you're pretty good at figures ; just cipher it up 
 and let's hear ?" 
 
 " How much !" exclaimed I ; " oh, a very small
 
 [Bod's Proposition. 43 
 
 portion of the whole cargo would satisfy me if I 
 had it here at this moment." 
 
 " How much ?" persisted Bob. " Would a ton 
 of it be enough for you, boy ?" 
 
 " Yes, indeed," laughed I ; " a ton of pure gold 
 — why, what do you suppose that would be worth, 
 
 Bob r 
 
 " Hain't much of a idee," replied he. 
 
 " A ton of pure gold," said I, " is worth over 
 one hundred thousand pounds, Bob ; I believe one 
 hundred and twenty-five thousand pounds is nearer 
 it's value ; though I cannot say for certain." 
 
 " Then," said Bob, " if we can manage to get, 
 say, a couple of tons of it home, you will be satis- 
 fied—eh ?" 
 
 " Perfectly," I replied ; " but how do you pro- 
 pose to accomplish this ?" for I saw he had a 
 scheme to briny; forward. 
 
 " Nothing easier," replied Bob. " Build a little 
 craft big enough to accommodate the two of us ; 
 with room to stow away our grub and water, and 
 the two tons of gold ; and up anchor and away." 
 
 " But," said I, " you forget that this island is 
 somewhere in the Pacific. Such a craft as you
 
 44 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 speak of would be totally unfit for the voyage v. 
 contemplate." 
 
 " Why ?" inquired Bob. 
 
 "Why ?" repeated I, astonished at the question. 
 " Simply because we should never get across the: 
 Bay of Biscay in her, to say nothing of the re- 
 mainder of the voyage." 
 
 " Why not ?" demanded Bob, rather pugna- 
 ciously. 
 
 " Do you mean to say," I retorted, " that you 
 can sit there and propose in cold blood such a 
 hair-brained scheme as that we two should 
 undertake a voyage to the Pacific in a mere 
 boatV 
 
 " I do," replied Bob emphatically. " That's a 
 simple way out of all your difficulties. The craft 
 will be your own ; there will be no risk of the 
 crew rising upon us for the sake of our cargo ; 
 and nobody to say ' What are we doing here ?' or 
 1 What do you want there ?' Why, it will be a 
 mere pleasure trip from end to end, all play and 
 no work, leastways none to speak on !" 
 
 " But, ni)' dear fellow, do be serious," protested 
 I. " You know, as well as I do, that we should
 
 Bob's Proposition. 45 
 
 be swamped the first time we fell] in with a capful 
 of wind." 
 
 " Maybe we should, if we went to work like a 
 couple of know-nothing land-lubbers," retorted 
 Bob ; " but if we went to work like seamen, as we 
 are, I should like to know what's to purvent our 
 sailing round the world if we like ! Answer me 
 that." 
 
 " Come, Bob, old man, let us hear the full 
 extent of your proposition," said I. " I know 
 that, whatever it may be, it will be the proposal of 
 a thorough seaman, for if any one could earn- 
 out the wild scheme you have suggested, you are 
 the man." 
 
 " 'Tain't such a very wild scheme neither," 
 replied Bob. " Answer me this. How many 
 people was saved from the London when she 
 foundered in the Bay of Biscay ?" 
 
 " Nineteen, if I remember rightly," replied I. 
 
 "Very well; now if a small boat of about 
 twenty-five feet long or thereabouts, open, mind 
 you, from stem to starn, could live twenty 
 hours with nineteen people in her, as the 
 Londons pinnace did, in weather that the old
 
 46 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 ship herself couldn't stand up agin, how long 
 will a full-decked boat of, say, thirty to thirty-five 
 feet long, carefully constructed, and in good trim, 
 live with only two men in her ? And warn't I," 
 continued he, " nineteen days alone in an open 
 boat in the South Atlantic; and didn't I make a 
 v'v'ge of a thousand miles in her afore I struck 
 sound in os at St. Helena ?" 
 
 This last question referred to an adventure 
 which had befallen Bob in his younger days, on 
 an occasion when he had been cruelly deserted 
 in a sinking ship by the rest of the crew, and 
 had made his escape, as described by himself, 
 after enduring unheard-of suffering. 
 
 " Then," questioned I, " you seriously enter- 
 tain the belief that the scheme you have sug- 
 gested is practicable ?" 
 
 "With ease and comfort," replied Bob. " Now 
 'look here, Harry. You can afford to build a craft 
 such as I have described, and fit her out for the 
 v'y'ge.and still leave money enough at home to keep- 
 sauce-box here " (indicating Ada, who was to him 
 as the apple of his eye) " comfortable and happy 
 like till we come back. You've a rare eye for a
 
 Bob's Proposition. 47 
 
 sea-boat, and mine ain't bad, for that matter ; 
 Jet's draught her out ourselves, since it's our own 
 lives as we are going to trust in her ; and if we 
 don't turn out, between us, as pretty a sea-boat 
 as ever floated, why, turn to and lay me up in 
 ordinary for the rest of my days for a useless old 
 hulk, that's all. A boat thirty feet long, decked 
 all over, and carefully designed, can't sink, boy, 
 because we can easily arrange matters so as to 
 keep her dry inside ; she'll ride as light as a gull 
 and as dry as a bone when big ships is making bad 
 weather of it, and as for the matter of capsizing, 
 bein' run down, or cast aw r ay, why they're dangers 
 as we are liable to in any ship, and must be 
 guarded against in every craft, large or small ; and 
 our little barkie would carry comfortable all we 
 should want for the v'y'ge, for we could touch 
 here and there out and home to make Q-ood 
 deficiencies, and we two are men enough to 
 handle her in all weathers. Rig her as a cutter, 
 boy. I was once't aboard a cutter yacht in a trip 
 up the Mediterranean, and you've no idea what a 
 handy rig it is, once you're used to it. And the 
 way them cutters '11 hug the wind — why 't would
 
 48 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 make a difference of nigh on a couple of thou- 
 sand miles, out and home, in the length ol the 
 passage." 
 
 I began to be infected with Bob's enthusiasm. 
 The scheme, which had at first appeared to me 
 as the very acme of fool-hardiness, now, under 
 the in line nee of Bob's eloquence, gradually as- 
 sumed an appearance of reasonableness, and a 
 promising- prospect of success, which was very 
 fascinating. Nevertheless, I could not but re- 
 member that the proposed voyage would take us 
 into latitudes subject to the most frightful and 
 sudden tempests, and I could not help thinking 
 (as I pointed out to Bob) that our cockle-shell 
 would stand but a poor chance; in a cyclone or a 
 black squall. 
 
 " Look here, Harry, my boy," remarked Bob 
 gravely, " as T propose to ship on this here 
 v'y'ge as chief mate, I ain't likely to forget that 
 there's such dangers as them you've just men- 
 tioned. But suppose you was to cork up a 
 bottle, or clap the lid on an empty biscuit-tin, and 
 heave 'em overboard, do you think they'd live 
 through one or t'other? In course the)- would,
 
 Bob's Proposition. 49 
 
 because salt water can't get inside of 'em, and as 
 long as they keep dry holds they'll float, let the 
 weather be what it will, and so '11 our craft, for 
 the same reason. And when the weather's too 
 bad to sail the barkie, we can heave her to, and 
 when it's too bad for that we can anchor her, 
 my boy, go below, slide on the top of the 
 companion, and turn in until the weather clears 
 up. 
 
 " But," said I, " we cannot anchor in the middle 
 of the Atlantic. Suppose we should be caught 
 in a cyclone there, for instance ?" 
 
 " We can anchor there, lad, with a floating 
 anchor, which will keep her head to wind ; and 
 with everything snug aloft and on deck, and a 
 floating anchor ahead with about sixty fathoms of 
 cable veered out, she would ride out in safety any 
 gale that ever blew out of the heavens." 
 
 This last remark closed the case, and secured a 
 verdict for the defendant. I knew that every 
 word Bob spoke was literally true, and the 
 audacity of the enterprise so fascinated me that I 
 resolved on the spot to undertake it, if it should 
 be found, on going into details, that a craft, 
 
 vol. 1. 4
 
 50 The Secret of tJic Sands. 
 
 capable of being" handled by our two selves, 
 could stow away, without being overloaded, 
 such provisions, etc., as we should need for the 
 voyage. 
 
 The following morning, immediately after 
 breakfast, I got out my drawing-board, strained 
 a sheet of paper upon it, and, with Bob at my side 
 to give me the benefit of his opinion upon every 
 line I traced upon the paper, set to in earnest to 
 design the little craft in which we proposed to 
 embark on our adventurous voyage. 
 
 Before putting a line upon paper, however, we 
 settled the plan of her internal arrangements. It 
 was our intention to make her lines as fine as her 
 respective dimensions would permit; she was to 
 be, in fact, a small yacht. We knew that every 
 vessel with sharp lines must necessarily be wet, 
 unless the weights she would have to carry were 
 all concentrated about her midship section, or 
 broadest part, so we decided that as far as was 
 practicable such should be the arrangement with 
 us ; and we knew that, if we could succeed in this, 
 our barkie might be as sharp as we could make 
 her, and still be dry and comfortable. We accord-
 
 Bob's Proposition. 51 
 
 ingly prepared a list of our requirements, as far as 
 we could think of them, calculated the space they 
 and the ballast would occupy, and then roughly 
 sketched out the proposed lines. These were 
 altered, rearranged, and improved upon time 
 after time, until at length we felt we had got 
 them as near perfection as the dimensions of the 
 boat and our own knowledge would carry us. 
 And I may as well say at once that throughout 
 the entire voyage we never had the slightest 
 reason to think our little vessel could be in any 
 way improved upon by alteration. 
 
 It is not probable that so long a voyage as 
 ours will be often undertaken again in such a very 
 small craft as we accomplished it in ; but there are 
 many men, I have no doubt, who would gladly 
 receive a hint as to the most advantageous form 
 for a small boat in which they might safely adven- 
 ture, alone, or with a friend, a cruise, say round 
 the British Isles, or across the Channel and along 
 the French coast ; and therefore, as this story is 
 written for the amusement only of such people as 
 love boats, I think I may venture to trespass so 
 far on my readers' patience as to give such a hint 
 
 4—2
 
 52 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 in the shape of a brief description of the Water 
 Lily, as Ada christened her. 
 
 She was, then, thirty-six feet long, and twelve 
 feet beam on the water-line ; but, in designing her 
 midship section, we caused her sides to swell out 
 boldly above water, so that her greatest beam was 
 fourteen feet, at a point one foot six inches above 
 the water-line. At this point her side tumbled 
 home two inches as it was carried upwards to her 
 deck, and from the same point the side curved 
 quickly inwards and downwards until it met the 
 water-line, when it swept under water with an 
 almost imperceptible curve for some distance, and 
 then took a moderately quick bend downwards to 
 meet her keel. This gave us a vessel in shape 
 very much like the centre-board model of boat, 
 but with a deep keel, and consequently great lateral 
 resistance, and space low down in the hull for the 
 stowage of ballast. We thus secured a very small 
 displacement, a light buoyant hull, extraordinary 
 stability, and a fair amount of power. 
 
 The hull was divided into three compartments 
 by bulkheads with wide doors which, if necessary, 
 we could close ivatcr-tigJit. In the fore compart-
 
 Bob's Proposition. 53 
 
 ment we decided to place nothing except the 
 smallest and lightest cooking-stove we could find. 
 In the midship compartment it was intended to 
 stow our ballast, water-tank, provisions, the chain 
 cables, and in fact everything which we could 
 possibly place there, leaving only a narrow pas- 
 sage amidships to pass to and fro. The after 
 compartment we intended to make our cabin, and 
 there we arranged also to sling our hammocks. It 
 will easily be understood that there was not an 
 inch of spare room anywhere ; but as our lives 
 would be spent almost entirely on deck, we did 
 not mind that very much. 
 
 Having designed our craft, the next question 
 was, who should build her ? Bob was strongly in 
 favour of having her built in the town, so that we 
 might oversee the laying of every plank, and the 
 driving of every nail ; but I knew there were firms 
 who could safely be trusted to honestly put the 
 best of work and material into the little vessel 
 without being watched ; and I determined to put 
 her into the hands of a very celebrated firm of 
 London boat- builders. 
 
 Accordingly, Bob and I ran up to town, taking
 
 54 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 my sister with us for a holiday, and on the morn- 
 ing- after our arrival, having seen Ada safely dis- 
 posed of for the day with some friends of ours, 
 we two men set out for the building-yard. 
 
 I placed our design in the hands of the principal, 
 telling him at the same time that we wanted a 
 boat of those dimensions, and, if possible, built on 
 those lines, and that she was intended to keep at 
 sea in all weathers. 
 
 He looked rather surprised at the last stipula- 
 tion ; but after carefully examining the drawing, 
 and asking us our reasons for certain little pecu- 
 liarities of shape, he confessed that, as far as his 
 experience went, he could frankly say he had 
 never seen a model better adapted for the pur- 
 pose. 
 
 " And yet, gentlemen," said he, " she will be 
 wonderfully fast, for, in the first place, her hull is 
 of such a shape that it will offer but a trilling re- 
 sistance to! forward motion ; and, in the next place, 
 these overhanging top-sides will give her such 
 extraordinary stability, as soon as she begins to 
 heel over, that you will be able to carry enormous 
 sails."
 
 Bods Proposition. 55 
 
 We were very glad to hear our own judgment 
 thus confirmed by a man, part of whose business 
 it was to form a correct opinion with respect to 
 the points upon which he had touched, and we 
 said as much. 
 
 He took a great deal of interest in what must, 
 after all, have been a very trifling matter to him ; 
 and both Bob and I had reason often afterwards to 
 congratulate ourselves that we had confided the 
 building-; of our boat to such p-ood hands. 
 
 He proposed that she should be composite built; 
 that is, that for the sake of lightness and strength 
 combined, her frame should be of steel, with an 
 inner skin of thin steel plate, and an outer plank- 
 ing of two thicknesses of mahogany. The ribs 
 were to be arranged diagonally, crossing the keel 
 at an angle of forty-five degrees, and intersecting 
 each other at right angles, thus converting her 
 entire frame into a sort of lattice-work girder. 
 
 It was arranged that all the fastenings of the 
 inner thickness of planking should be of iron, 
 whilst the outside planks should be secured with 
 copper fastenings. The utmost care was exercised 
 (and, as experience proved, with complete success)
 
 56 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 to prevent the slightest approach to galvanic 
 action, and one of the precautions taken was, I 
 remember well, the painting of the inner planking 
 with melted india-rubber, which was laid on coat 
 after coat until there was about one-sixteenth of 
 an inch of the rubber between the outer and inner 
 planks. 
 
 As we did not intend to sail until the following 
 summer, the builder had about eight months in 
 which to put our little ship together, a circum- 
 stance at which he expressed great satisfaction, as 
 he said it would enable him to pick and choose 
 his materials, and put careful work into her. 
 
 We arranged, at the same time, for the con- 
 struction of a boat to take with us, as we felt that 
 in the event of any untoward accident happening, we 
 ought to have something to take to for the saving 
 of our lives, and we knew also that there would 
 be many occasions when we should require some- 
 thing to answer the purposes which a boat answers 
 with regard to a ship. 
 
 The designing of this boat was beset by diffi- 
 culties, all originating in one, viz., want of space 
 in which to stow her. To think of carrying her
 
 Bob's Proposition. 57 
 
 on deck was out of the question, as the deck was 
 not spacious enough, in the first place, to receive 
 such a boat as we wanted ; and even had it been, 
 there was no chance of its remaining there ; it 
 would have been carried away by the first sea 
 which swept over us. We required something 
 large enough to carry us both, and a stock of 
 provisions in addition, so that should it be 
 necessary to abandon the Water Lily, we might 
 hope to reach land, or fall in with a ship. We 
 also wanted something that should be essentially 
 a life-boat, whilst she should also be very fast. 
 How to obtain all these desiderata, and at the 
 same time overcome the difficulty in respect to 
 room, we knew not. But, resolved not to be 
 baffled, we set our wits to work, and at length 
 schemed out a design of an exceedingly novel 
 character, which proved in all respects a most 
 brilliant success. 
 
 Two hollow steel cylinders, of very thin metal, 
 twenty-six feet long and one foot diameter in the 
 centre, tapering gradually away to nothing at each 
 end, were constructed in thirteen lengths of two 
 feet each. These lengths, being of different
 
 58 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 diameters, stowed one within the other, thus 
 taking up very little room indeed. In either end 
 of each length was inserted a narrow band of 
 metal thick enough to allow of a worm and screw, 
 so that all the lengths of each cylinder could be 
 screwed together perfectly water-tight. A light 
 steel framework of simple arrangement connected 
 the two cylinders together, at a distance of six 
 feet apart, with their centre lines parallel, and sup • 
 ported, at a height of two feet above the top of the 
 cylinders, a light stage ten feet long and six feet 
 wide. On the top of the stage, and connected 
 with the framework, was a step for a mast, and a 
 gammon-iron for a bowsprit, and underneath the 
 sta<je was a centre board which we could lower or 
 
 O 
 
 raise at pleasure. A broad rudder, fixed to the 
 after part of the stage, completed the design. 
 
 We spent a fortnight in London, and, having 
 witnessed the laying of the Water Lily s keel, and 
 inspected some of the timber which the builder 
 proposed to use in her construction, I saw Ada 
 safe home again, leaving Bob in London to look 
 out for a ship, which, when I rejoined him a couple 
 of days afterwards, he had found.
 
 Bob's Proposition. 59 
 
 We shipped in her for a voyage to Constanti- 
 nople and Trebizond, which occupied us for eight 
 months, and when we returned to London, on the 
 termination of this voyage, we found the Water 
 Lily completed, with the exception of a few 
 finishing touches, which the workmen were then 
 giving her.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 OUR TRIAL TRIP. 
 
 Mr. Wood (as we will call him, for the sake of 
 giving the gentleman a name) took us into his 
 office, and there laid before us a sail draught, 
 which he had carefully prepared for the guidance 
 of the sail-maker, in making the Water Lilys sails. 
 " You have never told me, gentlemen," said he, 
 " why you are having this little craft built ; but the 
 great pains which you have taken in the preparation 
 of her design, and the whole tenour of your remarks 
 when giving us the order to build her, impressed 
 me at the time with a conviction that her destiny 
 is to be something beyond that of most vessels of 
 her size. As we proceeded with our work, I 
 could not fail to be struck (as you will perhaps
 
 Our Trial Trip. 61 
 
 remember I was at my first glance at your 
 drawing) with the fact, that whilst she is eminently 
 calculated to prove a wonderfully fine little sea- 
 boat, she is equally certain to develope most 
 extraordinary sailing powers ; and so great is the 
 interest I take in her that I could not be satisfied 
 with intrusting the preparation of her sail draught to 
 any other than myself; for I foresee that she will, 
 in all probability, become a ' public character ' so 
 to speak, and in that capacity she will undoubtedly 
 reflect great credit on her builders. I have there- 
 fore calculated, with the utmost nicety, the pro- 
 portion of her various sails, so that they may take 
 effect to the greatest advantage ; and this is the 
 result of my labours," producing at the same time 
 the drawing- to which I have referred. 
 
 I must confess that, for my own part, I was 
 staggered at the enormous spread of canvas Mr. 
 Wood proposed to pile upon our little boat ; but 
 he declared that she would carry it with the 
 greatest ease. "In fact," said he, " I have kept 
 rather within the limit of her powers, bearing in 
 mind a remark you made to the effect that she 
 would have to keep to sea in all weathers ; and
 
 62 The Secret of iJic Sands. 
 
 so confident am I that she is not over-sailed, that 
 if you find I am wrong I undertake to bear all 
 the expense of a new outfit of sails, and the 
 necessary reduction of spars. With regard to 
 your 'boat' (though to my mind she looks much 
 more like an ingeniously designed raft), the idea 
 is so new that I cannot take it upon myself to 
 utter an opinion about her, though I can see no 
 reason why she should not be as fast as she un- 
 doubtedly is safe." 
 
 We sent off the sail-drawing to Lapthorn of 
 Gosport (determined to have the best made suit 
 of sails it was possible to procure), with instruc- 
 tions to prepare them without delay, and then 
 started off, by the first train, to Weymouth. 
 
 I found my dear sister safe and well, and more 
 lovely than ever ; but her spirits were subdued by 
 contemplation of the dangers attending the voyage 
 upon which we were now so soon to embark. 
 The poor girl had been thinking of little else it 
 seemed during our absence, until the liveliest 
 alarm had taken the place of that confidence with 
 which she had viewed the expedition when it was 
 first broached.
 
 Our Trial Trip. 6 
 
 j 
 
 But Bob and I had talked matters over together 
 in many a quiet night-watch, canvassing the various 
 emergencies which mi^ht arise, and the best mode 
 of meetine them ; and we were now confident 
 that, with only the ordinary perils of the ocean to 
 contend with, our adventure was not only feasible, 
 but that it would certainly be crowned with suc- 
 cess. And so we were well prepared to do battle 
 with Ada's apprehensions, which we did so vigor- 
 ously that we at length succeeded in restoring, in 
 a great measure, the confidence she had lost. 
 
 We arranged, after a considerable amount of 
 discussion, that our own house should be let, 
 furnished as it was, during my absence, and that 
 my sister should take up her quarters with an aunt 
 who resided on the Esplanade, Mrs. Moseley 
 accompanying her, with unlimited leave of absence 
 from time to time to visit her own relatives. 
 
 These arrangements completed, Bob and I set 
 out for London again, to superintend the rigging of 
 our boat and to bring her round to Weymouth, from 
 whence we intended to take our final departure. 
 
 On our arrival we found the little craft already 
 in the water, with her mast stepped and her
 
 64 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 ballast (which was of lead, cast to fit the shape 
 of her bottom) in. A portion of her ballast, 
 consisting of a piece of lead weighing five hun- 
 dredweight, was let into her keel about the mid- 
 ship section, and this, with two tons of lead inside, 
 we thought would prove sufficient, after our 
 " carcro " was stowed. Part of this carcfo we in- 
 tended to take from London with us, viz., the 
 water-tank, filled, second suit of sails and flying- 
 kites in the shape of spinnaker, jib-topsail, square- 
 headed gaff-topsail, etc., also a four-pound rifle 
 gun, with a stock of powder and shot, and a few 
 percussion shells. 
 
 These we decided to take in case of our being 
 obliged to assume a warlike attitude towards any 
 savages we might come into contact with, as we 
 had heard that the natives of some of the Pacific 
 islands are particularly ferocious, and require to 
 be dealt with promptly. We also provided our- 
 selves with a couple of air-guns of improved con- 
 struction and decidedly formidable character, four 
 six-chambered rcvolvin<>' rifles, and the same mini- 
 ber of revolver pistols, also a small but excellent 
 chest of carpenter's tools, a medicine-chest, etc.
 
 Our Trial Trip. 65 
 
 1 
 
 But when these and our boat were all stowed 
 away, there still remained more room than I 
 expected in our midship compartment, and the 
 little craft floated with her load-line nearly a foot 
 above the water's edge. I proposed ballasting 
 her down to her proper depth with sand-bags, but 
 Bob seemed anxious to test her sail-carrying 
 powers light as she was, urging that though we 
 should start well down in the water, she would lift 
 as our provisions grew short ; and it was desirable 
 to know by experiment beforehand how far we 
 could lighten her with safety. 
 
 Our sails had arrived, and we proceeded to 
 bend these forthwith, and set them ; as the weather 
 being fine, with light air, a very favourable op- 
 portunity offered for stretching them gently and 
 uniformly. We were as pleased with these sails 
 as we were with the hull of our little craft. They 
 were perfect masterpieces of the sailmaker's art, 
 the jibs being angulated, and the mainsail, square- 
 headed gaff-topsail, and trysail being made with 
 gored cloths. 
 
 This latter arrangement was an extravagant 
 one as to the amount of cloth used in the making 
 
 vol. 1. 5
 
 66 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 of each sail, but we were more than repaid for it 
 by the perfection of set in the sails, which stood as 
 flat as boards. Our storm-sails were made of 
 stout canvas, and the fine-weather ones of Ameri- 
 can cotton canvas, a most beautiful material, 
 extremely light, yet so close woven that not a 
 breath of the faintest breeze was lost, and they 
 were white as snow. 
 
 Our standing rigging was of wire, this being 
 lighter, and offering less windage than hemp- 
 risrsfiner of the same strength ; but, in order to 
 counteract its rigidity and give play to the spars, 
 we adopted the expedient of connecting the dead- 
 eyes to the chain-plates by a bolt and shackle 
 arrangement, interposing a thick indiarubber- 
 washer between the shackle and the bolt-head. 
 This plan answered most admirably, and I would 
 strongly recommend it to all users of wire-rigging. 
 I am confident that, in a fresh breeze and a chop- 
 ping sea, we gained fully a knot per hour in speed 
 by it. 
 
 Whilst our sails were stretching, Bob and I 
 occupied our time in looking about us for a few 
 things which we thought we could better obtain
 
 Our Trial Trip. 67 
 
 in London than anywhere else. Amongst these 
 was a couple of air mattresses for our hammocks, 
 which, when fully inflated, were capable of sus- 
 taining: the weight of three men each in the water. 
 Another article was a cooking-stove, the smallest, 
 lightest, and most compact thing of the kind I 
 ever saw. 
 
 It had a boiler capable of heating a quart of 
 water, and an oven large enough to bake a fowl, 
 with kettle, saucepan, etc., for the top. The 
 grate proper was filled with fragments of some 
 substance, the name of which I have forgotten, 
 and underneath the grate was a sliding tray which 
 held a six-wicked lamp. The lamp being lighted 
 and placed in position, speedily raised the sub- 
 stance in the grate to a state of incandescence, 
 and there was our fire, which gave out a tremen- 
 dous heat for the size of the grate. As an aid to 
 this stove, and an economiser of fuel, we purchased 
 also a most extraordinary invention, which was 
 named the "Norwegian cooking-stove" if I re- 
 member rightly. 
 
 This was not a stove at all, though it performed 
 the functions of one. It was simply a box, so con- 
 
 5—2
 
 68 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 structed that it retained all the beat your dish 
 might happen to contain when placed in it. The 
 mode of operation was to place your fowl or pie, 
 or what not, in the oven until it was thoroughly 
 hot through, then take it out, place it in the 
 " Norwegian," shut it up for two or three hours, 
 take it out, and lo ! your dinner was cooked to 
 perfection. The fuel which this affair saved us 
 during the voyage would have bought a dozen of 
 them. We spent a week looking about for such 
 things as these, and I am confident that, but for 
 the economy of space which we were able to 
 secure through the aid of these contrivances, our 
 voyage must have come to a sudden and igno- 
 minious conclusion. 
 
 At length we were all ataunto ; sails stretched 
 to perfection and properly bent, our impedimenta 
 all carefully and snugly stowed, and everything 
 ready for a start. At the instigation and through 
 the kindness of some yachting friends of mine, I 
 had been introduced to and was elected a member 
 
 of the Royal Yacht Club ; so one fine 
 
 morning towards the latter end of July we loosed 
 our sails, set them, ran our Club burgee up to the
 
 Our Trial Trip. 69 
 
 mast-head and the ensign up to the peak, and 
 made a start for Weymouth. At the last moment 
 Mr. Wood, the builder of our little craft, came on 
 board, saying that as he had nothing very pressing 
 for the day, and was curious to see something of 
 the way in which the Water Lily behaved, he 
 would take a passage with us as far as Gravesend, 
 if we had no objection. 
 
 We were only too pleased to have his company, 
 and of course gave him a cordial welcome. The 
 moment he came on board we cast off our moor- 
 ings, ran up the jib and foresail, and slid rapidly 
 away from the shore. The wind was moderately 
 fresh from the northward, so we started under 
 mainsail, foresail, and jib, but with the topmast 
 lowered, as, being in very light trim, I did not 
 think it advisable to run any risks by crowding sail 
 upon the barkie. 
 
 We found, as I had expected, that on an even 
 keel she was crank, though not to the extent I 
 had anticipated ; but as she began to heel over her 
 overhanging topside supported her ; so that, as 
 the breeze freshened (which it did gradually), the 
 more she lay down to it the stiffer she became.
 
 70 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 As our confidence in her stability and sail-carry- 
 ing powers thus became established, we grew 
 anxious to try her paces, and forthwith got her 
 topmast on end, the rigging set up, and put the 
 square-headed gaff-topsail upon her. This was a 
 very large sail for the size of the vessel, though, 
 like the mainsail, it was not particularly high in 
 the hoist ; but both sails were very much peaked, 
 the gaff-topsail so much so that the yard was 
 almost straight up and down. 
 
 With the setting of our big topsail an immediate 
 and very marked improvement in speed became 
 manifest. Before this we had been darting aloncr 
 at a very respectable speed, passing some smart- 
 looking schooners as though they had been at 
 anchor ; but now the little craft fairly rushed 
 through the water, making it hiss and smoke 
 under her sharp bows, and leaving a long wake of 
 bubbles behind her. She heeled over still more of 
 course, but it was with a steady kind of resistance 
 to the force of the wind which did finally away 
 with any lurking fears we might have had that we 
 were over-sparred or over-sailed. 
 
 We hove our patent log, and found that we were
 
 Our Trial Trip. 7 1 
 
 spinning along a good eight knots through the 
 water ; and indeed we came up with, and passed 
 with ease, several vessels which were being towed 
 down the river. Bob and I were enchanted, and 
 Mr. Wood scarcely less so ; and when, shortly 
 after luncheon, he stepped into the boat which he 
 had hailed to put him on shore at Gravesend, he 
 said, " I am sure the little craft will come with 
 credit out of the ordeal through which you are 
 going to put her, whatever it may be ; so, gentle- 
 men, I hope you will favour me on your return 
 with a full account of your and her adventures." 
 
 We took leave of him with a hearty shake of 
 the hand, and a faithful promise that we would do so 
 (a promise which I intend to fulfil by sending him 
 a handsomely-bound copy of this "log" as soon 
 as printed) ; let draw the foresheet, and resumed 
 our course down the river. 
 
 We met with no adventure worthy of record on 
 our passage down, unless I except the amusement 
 we derived from the chagrin G f the crew of a 
 French steamer bound to Havre, who, to their 
 amazement, found that the little English yacht, by 
 cutting off corners, skimming across shoals, and simi-
 
 72 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 lar manoeuvres, was slowly drawing ahead of them ; 
 and though, after passing Sheerness, she gradually 
 crept ahead of us at first, yet as the wind freshened, 
 and we continued to " carry on " until the water 
 was over our deck on the lee side half way up to 
 the companion, we actually overtook and passed 
 her, until, to escape an ignominious defeat, she set 
 her own sails, and so drew away from us. 
 
 By eight o'clock that night we were off the 
 North Foreland, bowling along at a slashing pace, 
 with our mainsail boomed out to starboard, and 
 our spinnaker set on the port side, jib and foresail 
 stowed. 
 
 It was a glorious summer evening, and there 
 
 o o 
 
 was every prospect of its being a fine night ; the 
 aneroid evinced, if anything, a tendency to rise, 
 and there was a good slice of the moon left, 
 though she would be rather late in rising, so we 
 determined to keep going all night. 
 
 By ten o'clock we were Hying through the 
 Downs ; and very ticklish work it was to thread 
 in and out between the ships at anchor there and 
 those beating up, without experiencing a jibe, but 
 by dint of a sharp look-out we did it.
 
 Our Trial Trip. 73 
 
 By midnight we were off Dover, and here we 
 took in the spinnaker, jibbed the boom over to 
 port, and set our jib and foresail. Bob wanted 
 the spinnaker set again on the starboard side ; 
 but I would not agree to this, as, though we had 
 both been on deck hitherto, he insisted on taking 
 the middle watch alone, while I went below for a 
 four hours' sleep, and I did not think it prudent to 
 leave him alone with so large and unmanageable 
 a sail. 
 
 I wanted to take in the gaff-topsail also, but 
 Bob would not hear of such a thing. He insisted 
 that she was under easy and manageable canvas, 
 and that there was nothing like making a passage 
 while we had the opportunity. In this sentiment 
 I fully agreed with him ; but still I thought it 
 better to err on the safe side, at least for the 
 present, until we had become better acquainted 
 with the capabilities of the craft. But Bob was 
 obdurate, and at last I had to give in and rest 
 content with the assurance that he would give me 
 timely warning if it should become necessary to 
 shorten sail. 
 
 When I came on deck at four o'clock I found
 
 74 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 we were just off Dungeness, and in the midst of 
 an outward-bound fleet of ships of all sizes and 
 almost all nations. The wind appeared to have 
 freshened somewhat during Bob's watch ; but the 
 morning was beautifully clear and fine ; and, as 
 our spars seemed to bear with the utmost ease the 
 sail we were carrying, I thought we might venture 
 to try the effect of a little extra " muslin." 
 
 Accordingly, before relieving Bob at the tiller, 
 I roused out our spinnaker again ; and as we had 
 hauled up a couple of points for Beechy Head just 
 as I came on deck, I got it to the bowsprit end 
 and set it, with its sheet led aft to the main-boom 
 end, in place of the jib, which, with the foresail, I 
 stowed. Bob then went below and turned in, 
 first giving me strict injunctions to call him at 
 " seven bells," that he might turn out and prepare 
 breakfast, for it now appeared that he intended 
 to unite the functions of chief mate and cook and 
 steward, on the voyage we had just started upon 
 so auspiciously. 
 
 The substitution of the spinnaker for the jib 
 and foresail made a very great difference in our 
 rate of sailing*. When I first came on deck I
 
 Our Trial Trip. 75 
 
 noticed some distance astern a splendid clipper- 
 ship, bowling along with every stitch of canvas set 
 that would draw, up to skysails and royal studding- 
 sails. By the time I had got my spinnaker set 
 she was abreast of us, about half a mile outside 
 and consequently to leeward. But now she was 
 unable to draw away from us an inch, so great 
 was our speed through the smooth water ; and 
 when Bob came on deck at " seven bells," she 
 still lay as nearly as possible in the same position 
 with regard to us as when he went below. 
 
 "Phew!" whistled he, as his eye fell on her, 
 " so the big chap has found his match, has he, in 
 a craft the size of his own long-boat. My eyes! 
 Harry, but this here is a little flyer, and no mis- 
 take. Why the post-office people '11 be wanting 
 us to carry their mails for 'em if so be as they gets 
 to hear on us, eh, lad ?" 
 
 Closing this remark with a chuckle of intense 
 satisfaction and a leer at our big neighbour, Bob 
 dived below again ; and shortly afterwards a 
 frizzling sound from forward, and an odour 
 strongly suggestive of bacon and eggs, which was 
 wafted upwards from the companion, informed
 
 j6 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 me that he had entered upon the duties of the 
 less dignified but equally important part of his 
 combined self-appointment. 
 
 We made a hearty breakfast off the aforesaid 
 bacon and eggs, with soft tack laid in the day 
 before, and washed all down with some most excel- 
 lent coffee, in the concoction of which beverage Bob 
 was an adept, and then, as soon as he had washed 
 up, and put matters to rights in his pantry, and 
 made arrangements for dinner, I went below and 
 turned in until noon. 
 
 When I went upon deck again, I found that 
 the breeze had softened down very considerably, 
 and we were slipping along barely five knots 
 through the water. Our big neighbour, the ship, 
 could do nothing with us in such light airs, and he 
 was now a £Ood six miles astern. 
 
 During the afternoon, the wind dropped still 
 more, and by eight o'clock in the evening we had 
 little more than steerage way. 
 
 The water was absolutely without a ripple ; our 
 sails flapped, the main-boom swung inboard 
 with every heave of the little craft over the long, 
 gentle undulations of the ground-swell ; and the
 
 Our Trial Trip. J J 
 
 different vessels in sight were heading to all points 
 of the compass. 
 
 It was, to all appearance, stark calm ; yet there 
 must have have been a light though imperceptible 
 air, for on looking over the bows there was a 
 smooth unbroken ripple stretching away on each 
 side, showing that we were moving through the 
 water still, though very gently ; and the fact that 
 the little craft answered her helm was additional 
 testimony to the same effect. 
 
 During the night a little air came out from off 
 the land, and we mended our pace somewhat ; but 
 it was not until the following noon that we o-ot 
 fairly abreast of St. Catherine's Point. 
 
 About eight o'clock the same evening, the wind 
 still being light, we were abreast of the Needles ; 
 about a couple of miles to the westward of 
 them, and apparently steering pretty nearly the 
 same course as ourselves, we saw a cutter yacht 
 about our own size. 
 
 By midnight we were abreast of Durlstone 
 Head, and had gained so much upon the other 
 cutter that we could make out that she had a larg-e 
 and apparently a very merry party on board.
 
 yS The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 Hearty peals of laughter came frequently across 
 the water towards us from her, and occasionally a 
 song, generally with a good rattling chorus. 
 
 We continued to creep up to her, and at length 
 got abreast of and so near her that, with the ad- 
 vantage of a good run, an active man might have 
 leaped from one vessel to the other. 
 
 As we ranged up alongside, a most aristocratic- 
 looking man stepped to leeward, and, grasping 
 lightly with one hand the aftermost shroud, while 
 with the other he slightly lifted his straw hat in 
 salute, he inquired : 
 
 "What cutter is that ?" 
 
 "The Water Lily, Royal Yacht Club," 
 
 replied I. " What cutter is that ?" 
 
 " The Emerald, Royal Victoria," answered our 
 new acquaintance. " You have a singularly fast 
 vessel under you," continued he ; " I believe I 
 may say she is the first that ever passed me in 
 such weather as this. I have hitherto thought 
 that, in light winds, the Emerald has not her 
 match afloat ; yet you are stealing through my 
 lee as if we were at anchor. I presume, by the 
 course you are steering, that you are, like our-
 
 Our Trial Trip. 79 
 
 selves, bound to Weymouth. If so, I should like 
 to step on board you when we arrive, if you will 
 allow me. I am curious to see a little more of 
 the craft that is able to slip away from us as you 
 
 are doing, in our own weather. I am Lord ," 
 
 he explained, thinking, I suppose, that we should 
 like to know who it was who thus invited himself 
 on board a perfect stranger. 
 
 I shouted back (for we w r ere by this time some 
 distance ahead of the Emerald) that I should be 
 happy to see his lordship on board whenever he 
 pleased to come ; and then the conversation ceased, 
 the distance between the two vessels having be- 
 come too great to permit of its being continued 
 with comfort. 
 
 It was now Bob's watch below; but the nieht 
 was so very close that he had brought his bed on 
 deck, and was preparing to "turn in" on the 
 weather side of the companion for his four hours' 
 sleep. As he arranged the bedding to his satis- 
 faction, he cast his eyes frequently astern to the 
 Emerald, whose sails gleamed ghostly in the 
 feeble light of the moon, which, in her third 
 quarter, was just rising.
 
 So The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 " By George, Marry," exclaimed he, "if they 
 Emeralds hain't shifting topsails, I'm a miserable 
 sinner ! Ave, there goes his ' ballooner* aloft. 
 His lordship don't like the looks of our tail, 
 seemin'ly ; but I doubt whether, in this light 
 breeze, his big topsail will enable him to catch us. 
 My eyes! how we did slip through his lee, sure 
 enough ! Tell ye what, Harry lad ; that topsail 
 of our'n is a good un — a rare good un for a reach, 
 and in a moderate breeze ; but we ought to have 
 a ' ballooner' for running off the wind in light 
 weather — a whacking big un, with a ' jack' as loner 
 as the bowsprit, and a yard as long as the lower- 
 mast. I'm beginning to think we are under- 
 sparred and under-sailed." 
 
 I could scarcely agree with Bob in this. It is 
 true that in fine weather we could carry consider- 
 ably more canvas than we had ; but I had a 
 thought for the heavy weather also, and I knew 
 that as soon as it came on to blow we should find 
 our present sails quite as large as we could manage. 
 Nevertheless, I made up my mind that we would 
 have a balloon-topsail, as the voyage would be a 
 long one, and it was possible that we might have
 
 Our Trial Trip. 81 
 
 spells of light winds for days together, when such 
 a sail could be carried to the utmost advantage. 
 
 Notwithstanding the change of topsails, we still 
 continued to creep away from the Emerald, and 
 when we let go our anchor in Weymouth Roads, 
 about six o'clock the next morning, she was still a 
 good three miles outside of us ; the wind had, 
 in the meantime, fallen away so light, that it was 
 not until after we had breakfasted that she drifted 
 slowly in and brought up close to us. 
 
 Shortly afterwards, Lord came on board, 
 
 accompanied by two or three friends ; and his 
 astonishment was great when he found that we 
 only mustered two hands, all told. He noticed 
 the absence of a boat from our decks, and inquired 
 whether we had lost ours, and was still more 
 astonished when we informed him that it was 
 taken to pieces and stowed snugly away below. 
 
 This led to a request that he might be allowed 
 to see it ; and gradually it all came out that we 
 were bound on nothing less than a voyage to the 
 Pacific. 
 
 He was by no means inquisitive ; his questions 
 were merely such as one yachtsman would natur- 
 
 vol. I. , 6
 
 82 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 ally put to another. But wc knew beforehand 
 that it would be difficult to conceal the fact that 
 we were not merely cruising for pleasure ; so we 
 had come to the conclusion that it would be best 
 to put a bold face upon the matter, and state at 
 once that we were going a long trip ; and Bob 
 had proposed that, in the event of any questions 
 being asked, we should give out that we were 
 going to seek for some traces of my father. 
 
 To this I willingly agreed, as I really meant, if 
 possible, to endeavour to find some clue to his 
 fate ; though I could not help acknowledging to 
 myself that, if we did make any discoveries, it 
 would be by the merest accident. 
 
 Lord seemed to be singularly struck with 
 
 the model of the Water Lily ; the only fault he 
 found with her being the deficiency of head-rocm 
 below. This fault, however, was inseparable from 
 her peculiar shape, for, as 1 have already stated, 
 she had a very shallow body, and a flat floor ; and 
 although she drew seven feet of water aft, her 
 (1< pth below her platform was entirely taken up 
 with the ballast and water-tank, leaving enly a 
 height of four feet between the top of the platform
 
 Our Trial Trip. 8? 
 
 o 
 
 and the under side of the beams ; she was, in short, 
 an exceedingly small craft for her tonnage. 
 
 We went ashore in his lordship's boat at his 
 invitation ; and as I casually mentioned that I 
 meant on the morrow to put our "boat" together 
 and give her a trial, he very kindly offered to ac- 
 company us in the Emerald. 
 
 My sister was, of course, delighted to see us 
 both, and equally delighted to hear how thoroughly 
 satisfied we were with our little vessel. It was 
 evident that she had not quite conquered her ap- 
 prehensions on the score of our long voyage in so 
 small a craft ; but our eulogiums upon the Water 
 Lilys many good qualities were so enthusiastic, 
 and the confidence we expressed in her sea-going 
 powers so thorough, that Ada soon came to regard 
 the voyage as in no degree more perilous than it 
 would have been if undertaken in a vessel of four 
 or five hundred tons. 
 
 We did not think it necessary to point out to 
 her that we should probably be exposed to many 
 perils besides those of the sea ; and so the dear 
 girl became satisfied, and learned to contemplate 
 our speedy departure with comparative equanimity. 
 
 6—2
 
 84 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 The next morning we made arrangements with 
 a boatman for the hire of his punt during the short 
 time that we intended to remain in Weymouth, as 
 we wished our tubular boat to come into use only 
 when we had no other to fall back upon. 
 
 Having struck our bargain, Bob and I jumped 
 into the hired punt, and rowed off to the Water 
 Lily, which lay at anchor in the roadstead. 
 
 It was necessary to pass close to the Emerald 
 to reach our own craft, and as we pulled under her 
 
 stern, Lord hailed us to know whether we 
 
 still intended to make our trial trip, and, if so, how 
 long it would be ere we should be ready. 
 
 I replied that I hoped to be ready in about an 
 hour, whereupon his lordship jumped into his boat 
 to pay a visit to the post-office, saying he would 
 be back in time to go out with us. 
 
 As soon as we got on board the Water Lily, 
 we got our tubes on deck, screwed the different 
 sections together, and launched them overboard. 
 The framework connecting the two tubes together, 
 and supporting the stage or deck, was next fixed ; 
 then the deck itself, which was in three pieces, 
 and so contrived that, when properly put together
 
 Our Trial Trip, 85 
 
 and laid in its place, a single bolt secured the 
 whole immovably. Our centre-board and rudder 
 were soon in their places, and nothing remained 
 but to step the mast and bowsprit, set up the 
 rigging, bend sails, and be off. 
 
 These latter operations took but a very short 
 time, as every device had been adopted which 
 would facilitate the boat's equipment ; and, having 
 timed ourselves, we found that our boat was ready 
 and under weigh within an hour of the time at 
 which we had first begun to work at her. We 
 considered this very smart work, but we hoped to 
 shorten the time considerably after a little practice. 
 
 We took a few turns in the bav, whilst the 
 Emerald was getting under weigh, and tried a few 
 manoeuvres with perfect success. There was only 
 one thing about which we had any doubt, and that 
 was whether she would stay or no. In the smooth 
 water close to the shore (the wind was strong, 
 from the south-west that day) she tacked beauti- 
 fully, head-reaching a long way in stays ; and later 
 on in the day we found that in this respect rough 
 water made very little difference to her, owing to 
 the peculiar shape of her tubes.
 
 86 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 It was blowing a strong breeze from the south- 
 west, as I have already said, and we took down a 
 reef in our mainsail, whilst the Emerald started 
 under trysail and jib, keeping her mainsail stowed 
 so as not to run away from us. 
 
 We intended to run out round the Shambles 
 light-ship and back ; but as soon as I got clear of 
 the bay, and from under the lee of the Nothe, I 
 hauled sharp upon a wind to test the stability of 
 my craft. To my astonishment, she did not ap- 
 pear to feel the effect of the wind at all, except as 
 it tended to urge her through the water. She 
 skimmed along- very fast, but stood quite upright. 
 Under these circumstances we, of course, shook 
 our reef out and bore up for a run away to lee- 
 ward. 
 
 The Emerald could do nothing' with us at this 
 game, much to the chagrin of her noble owner ; 
 so she was obliged to in trysail and set her main- 
 sail, whilst we hove to and waited for her. But 
 even after her mainsail was set we had the advan- 
 tage of her. 
 
 She was a regular racer — long, lean, and deep 
 in the water ; whilst we Heated entirely upon the
 
 Our Trial Trip. 87 
 
 surface, the tubes being exactly half submerged, 
 as we noticed when we first started. The conse- 
 quence was that we skimmed along like a feather, 
 whilst the Emerald had to displace many tons 
 of water with every foot of progress which she 
 made. 
 
 We passed through the opening in the magni- 
 ficent breakwater which shelters the roadstead at 
 Portland, and soon afterwards began to feel the 
 heave of the Channel. Our tube-boat rushed 
 along over the crests of the waves with a very 
 easy and steady motion, but the Emerald started 
 rolling ; and as we drew farther off the land, and 
 got more into the influence of the rough water, 
 this rolling" motion became so violent that her 
 boom had to be topped up pretty high to prevent 
 it from dipping and dragging in the water every 
 time she rolled to leeward. 
 
 Bob sat watching her attentively for some time, 
 and at length — 
 
 " Aren't this here Emerald the. little eight-tonner 
 as took so many prizes last year in the regattas ?" 
 said he. 
 
 I replied that she was.
 
 SS The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 "Well," said he, "we beat her all to nothing in 
 a calm, or next door to it, last night in the Lily, 
 and I'm thinking we could run her under water in 
 a breeze like this here, with such a jump of a sea 
 as we shall ret when we rounds to on our road 
 back. What's your idee, my lad ?" 
 
 " I think we could," replied I. " She is so long 
 and narrow that she must be a regular wet one 
 close hauled, as I expect we shall see shortly. If 
 I remember rightly, all her prizes were won in 
 light winds or smooth water ; and though I do 
 not believe we could do anything with her in a 
 staggering whole-sail breeze in smooth water, I 
 fancy we could give a good account of her in a 
 Channel match. But you must bear in mind, Bob, 
 that the Lily is the larger craft of the two." 
 
 " That I deny," retorted Bob. " Heavier we 
 may be as to tonnage, accordin' to the way ton- 
 nage is measured ; but she's got double our power. 
 I'll bet my 'lowance of grog for the next month to 
 come that she's got good seven ton or more of 
 lead stowed away under her cabin floor; whilst 
 we've got two, besides the trifle in our keel ; and 
 poicer, as you know well, Harry, is what tells in a
 
 Our Trial Trip. 89 
 
 breeze. Take us all round, and, in spite of our 
 difference of tonnage, I reckon we're pretty much 
 of a size, and consequently a very fair match, so 
 far as that goes. I should like to be alongside of 
 her in the Lily in such a breeze and such water as 
 this." 
 
 By this time we were close to the light-ship, 
 still leading, and in another minute we shot under 
 her stern and hauled up on the port tack. We 
 now felt the full strength of the breeze, and I was 
 somewhat alarmed to find how fresh it was blow- 
 ing. But we were as stiff as a house, and could have 
 carried half as much sail again, had there been more 
 to set. We lowered our centre-board just before 
 hauling up, and now we found ourselves tearing 
 along in a manner which perfectly astounded me. 
 
 Our long, slender, pointed tubes appeared to 
 offer no resistance whatever to our passage through 
 the water. The motion was delightfully easy and 
 gentle, the tubes piercing the body of each wave, 
 as it rolled towards us, without the slightest shock, 
 and lifting us gently and easily over the cap of it 
 just as it seemed upon the point of coming in upon 
 oar deck. There was not an atom of spray ; we
 
 qd The Scire/ of the Sands. 
 
 were as dry going to windward as when running 
 free. 
 
 With the Emerald it was very different. Her 
 huge mainsail was almost too much for her now 
 that she was hauled close upon a wind ; and as 
 we looked astern, we could see her taking plunge 
 after plunge, and sending her sharp bows clear 
 through the seas at every dive, until her jib and 
 foresail were wet half way up to their heads, whilst 
 her lee-rail was completely buried in the boiling 
 surge. 
 
 Now that we were close hauled, the Emerald 
 walked up to us, though by no means so rapidly 
 as might have been expected. There was no 
 comparison between the powers of the two craft, 
 yet, though we certainly dropped to leeward a 
 little more than she did, it was only a little ; and 
 the difference in our speeds was very trilling, con- 
 sidering 1 the </rcat difference in size between the 
 cutter and ourselves. 
 
 About a quarter of an hour after we rounded 
 the light-ship, the Emerald passed us close to 
 windward. She presented a most beautiful sight, 
 at least to a nautical eye, as she swept by. She
 
 Our Trial Trip. 91 
 
 was heeling over to such an extent that the water 
 was up over her deck, on the lee side, nearly to 
 the skylights and companion ; and her immense 
 sails were driving her so irresistibly through the 
 short, jumping seas, that she had no time to rise 
 to each as she met it. Her bowsprit plunged 
 deeply into the advancing wave, her sharp bows 
 cleft it asunder, and then, as they rose through it, 
 amidst a blinding shower of spray, the water 
 shipped forward, rushed foaming aft and to leeward 
 like a swollen mountain torrent, until it mingled 
 with the water which flooded her decks to lee- 
 ward. 
 
 As soon as she was past us, her crew hauled 
 down a couple of reefs in her mainsail, and set a 
 smaller jib. This, of course, relieved her very 
 materially, and, if anything, rather increased than 
 diminished her speed, as she kept sailing round 
 and round us with ease, until we were well over 
 towards Weymouth Roads once more, and it had 
 become perfectly evident that we needed no look- 
 ing after. 
 
 As soon as he was quite satisfied of this, Lord 
 made the best of his way to the anchorage,
 
 92 The Secret of tlic Sands. 
 
 and brought up, having had such a dusting as 
 ouijht to have satisfied him for some time to 
 come. 
 
 As for Bob and myself, we were as pleased 
 with our novel boat as it was possible to be. She 
 proved to be a perfect success in every way ; and 
 when we took the tubes to pieces to stow them 
 away, we found that, so accurately had the joints 
 been made, that not a drop of water had pene- 
 trated to the interior of either. 
 
 One alteration, however, we resolved to make, 
 and that was in the size of the sails. The boat 
 was stiff enough to carry much larger sails than 
 we had provided for her ; and as we did not know 
 but that a time might come when speed would be 
 a matter of the most vital importance to us, we 
 determined to furnish her with sails as large as it 
 was prudent to carry. 
 
 We also decided to alter her rig somewhat, by 
 substituting what is known among the initiated as 
 a "sliding" gunter" for a gaff-mainsail. This tnves 
 you a mainsail and jib-headed topsail in one, whilst 
 it does away with the gaff altogether, whereby you 
 obtain a much flatter standing sail ; indeed, when
 
 Our Trial Trip. 93 
 
 this sail is properly cut (and it is not a difficult 
 sail to shape), there is nothing to beat it in this 
 respect. 
 
 Accordingly, we despatched an order to Lap- 
 thorn that night for the new suit of sails, and also 
 for a balloon-topsail for the Water Lily, the dimen- 
 sions of which satisfied even Bob, greedy as he 
 was for canvas. 
 
 Meantime, the remainder of our stores were 
 ordered, received, and shipped, and ten days after 
 our arrival in Weymouth Roads we had every- 
 thing on board which we could think of as neces- 
 sary or likely to be in any degree useful to us on 
 our voyage. 
 
 But when all was shipped, we found we had 
 made a mistake somewhere in our calculations, 
 and not only had rather more room than we ex- 
 pected, but our little craft still floated rather higher 
 than her regular load-line. We therefore took in 
 half a ton more lead ballast, which brought her 
 down to within an inch of her proper trim, and 
 with that we determined to rest satisfied.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 A GALE IN THE BAY OF BISCAY. 
 
 Ox the evening of Wednesday, August 8th, 18 — , 
 having wished all our friends good-bye, and pressed 
 my last kiss upon the lips of my sobbing sister, I ran 
 hastily down the flight of stone steps before my 
 aunt's front door, crossed the road, and walked 
 briskly down the Esplanade until I overtook Bob, 
 w ho had gone on before me ; we then proceeded 
 together to the New Quay end, found the man of 
 whom we had hired our punt, paid him his money, 
 and got him to row us on board the Water Lily. 
 
 We had arranged to start at daybreak on the 
 following morning ; but as we pulled off to the 
 cutler we remarked that there was a nice little 
 breeze blowing from the westward, and as the
 
 A Gale in the Bay of Biscay. 95 
 
 evening was beautifully fine and clear, with the 
 promise of a brilliant starlight when the night 
 should have fully set in, the idea occurred to us 
 both that we might just as well be getting on down 
 Channel at once, as be lying at anchor all night. 
 
 Accordingly, as soon as we got on board, we 
 loosed and set our canvas, hove up our anchor, 
 and in half an hour afterwards were slipping 
 through the opening in the Portland Breakwater. 
 
 In little more than half an hour after that we 
 were clear of the dreaded Bill, when, noticing that 
 a small drain of flood-tide was still making, we 
 hauled our wind on the port tack, and stood in to- 
 wards Bridport for an hour ; then tacked again, 
 and stood out towards mid-Channel, so as to obtain 
 the full benefit of the ebb-tide, which by this time 
 had begun to make. 
 
 By " six bells," or seven o'clock, on the following 
 morning we were abreast the Start, about six miles 
 distant. We stood on until eight o'clock, when 
 we tacked a^ain towards the land, having now a 
 flood-tide against us, and had breakfast. 
 
 By noon we were in Plymouth Sound, when we 
 made a short leg to the southward until we could
 
 96 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 weather Rame Head ; then went about once more, 
 stretched across Whitesand Bay until the ebb-tide 
 began to make again, and then again hove about 
 and stood to the southward and westward, on the 
 starboard tack. 
 
 At six o'clock that evening we passed the Lizard 
 lighthouse, distant two and a half miles, and here 
 we took our departure. 
 
 For the benefit of those who may be ignorant 
 of the meaning of this expression, I may as well 
 explain that the commander of a vessel takes his 
 departure from the last well-known point of land 
 he expects to see before launching into mid-ocean, 
 by noting, as accurately as he possibly can, its 
 compass-bearing and distance from his ship at a 
 particular hour. 
 
 With these data he is enabled to lay down upon 
 his chart the exact position of his ship at that 
 hour, and from this spot the ship's reckoning com- 
 mences. The courses she steers, and the number 
 of knots or nautical miles (sixty of which are equal 
 to sixty-nine and a half English miles) she sails 
 every hour, together with certain other items of 
 information, such as the direction of the wind, the
 
 A Gale in the Bay of Biscay. 97 
 
 direction and speed of the currents, if any, which 
 she passes through, and the state of the weather, 
 the lee-way the ship makes, etc., etc., are all entered 
 in the log-book ; and at noon every day, by means 
 of certain simple calculations, the ship's position is 
 ascertained from these particulars. 
 
 The entering of all these particulars in the log- 
 book is termed keeping the dead reckoning, and the 
 working out of the calculations just referred to is 
 called working up the days work. 
 
 This, however, only gives the ship's position 
 approximately, because it is difficult to judge accu- 
 rately of the amount of lee-way which a ship 
 makes, and it is not at all times easy to detect the 
 presence of currents, both of which produce a cer- 
 tain amount of deviation from the apparent course 
 of the ship. 
 
 To correct, therefore, all errors of this kind, 
 which are otherwise impossible to detect when the 
 ship is out of sight of land, various observations of 
 the sun, moon, or stars are taken, whereby the 
 exact latitude or longitude (or sometimes both to- 
 gether) of the ship at the moment of observation 
 is ascertained. 
 
 vol. 1. 7
 
 98 The Secret of tJie Sands. 
 
 This short lesson in navigation over, we will now 
 rejoin the Water Lih\ which we left at six p.m. 
 off the Lizard, on the starboard tack. 
 
 It was my "eight hours out" that night, and 
 when I took the tiller at eight o'clock we were 
 dashing alon^ a orood honest ei^ht knots, under 
 whole canvas and a jib-headed gaff-topsail. The 
 night was as fine as the previous one, but with a 
 little more wind, and we were just beginning to 
 get within the influence of the Atlantic swell. 
 There was no sea on, but the long, majestic, heav- 
 ing swell was sweeping with stately motion towards 
 the Channel, rising like low hills on either side of 
 us as our little barkie sank between them, and 
 gleaming coldly, like polished steel, where the 
 moon's rays fell upon their crests. But the little 
 Lily sprang gaily onward upon her course, mount- 
 ing the waterv ridges and Q-lidin<>' down into the 
 liquid valleys with the ease and grace of a sea- 
 bird, and without throwing so much as a drop of 
 water upon her deck. 
 
 The serenity and beauty of the night, the bril- 
 liancy of the stars which studded the deep purple 
 vault above me, and the gentle murmur of the
 
 A Gate in the Bay of Biscay. 99 
 
 wind through the cutter's rigging, combined to 
 produce a sensation of solemnity almost amounting 
 to melancholy within me, and my thoughts flew 
 back to the beloved sister I had so recently parted 
 with, wondering whether she was at that moment 
 thinking of me, or whether we should ever meet 
 again, and, if so, how long hence and under what 
 circumstances ; and so on, and so on, until I was 
 recalled to myself by a sprinkling of spray upon 
 my cheek, whereupon I awoke, in the first place, 
 to the fact that the breeze had so far freshened 
 that the Lily was flying through the water w T ith 
 her lee gunwale pretty w r ell under ; and, in the 
 second, to the knowledge that I had outstayed my 
 watch a good half hour. 
 
 I lost no time in calling Bob, and as soon as he 
 came upon deck we got our gaff-topsail down and 
 our topmast housed. 
 
 I then went below and turned in ; but I had 
 time, before leaving the deck, to notice that we 
 went through the water quite as fast (if not a trifle 
 faster), now that our lee gunwale was just awash, 
 as we did when it was buried a couple of planks 
 up the deck in water. 
 
 7—2
 
 ioo The Secret of tlic Sands. 
 
 When P)ob called me at the expiration of his 
 watch, I found, on going on deck, that the wind 
 had continued to freshen all through the four 
 hours I had been below, and it was now blowing 
 quite a strong breeze. It had gradually hauled 
 round to about north-west, too, which brought it 
 well upon our starboard quarter, and we were 
 Hying along at a tremendous pace, with all our 
 sheets eased well off. 
 
 But although by this change we were running 
 off the wind, and consequently did not feel its full 
 force, I decided to take down a single reef in the 
 mainsail, and shift the jib ; for there was a windy 
 look in the sky that seemed to promise a very 
 strong blow shortly. I did not wish to dis- 
 turb Bob when perhaps about half way through 
 his four hours' sleep, so I got him to assist me in 
 making my preparations before he left the deck. 
 And the promise was amply fulfilled as the sun 
 rose higher in the sky, the wind freshening rapidly, 
 but hauling still farther round from the northward 
 as it did so. 
 
 By the time that Bob came on deck again, at 
 seven bells, to prepare breakfast, I had my hands
 
 A Gale in the Bay of Biscay. 101 
 
 full. The sea was fast getting up, and I began to 
 tremble for my spars and gear. The glass 
 had fallen rather suddenly, and altogether there 
 seemed to be every prospect of a regular summer 
 gale. 
 
 Bob was of the same opinion as myself in this 
 respect, so we decided to get everything snug and 
 in readiness for the blow before thinking of break- 
 fast. 
 
 This was rather a ticklish job, for it was now 
 blowing far too strong to round-to and shorten 
 sail, and it required something more than fresh- 
 water seamanship to get our big mainsail in with- 
 out getting into trouble. But Bob seemed per- 
 fectly at home. He set the weather-topping-lift 
 up hand-taut, and took a turn with the lee one ; 
 then dropped the peak of the mainsail until the 
 end of the gaff was pressing against the lee-lift ; 
 triced the tack right up to the throat ; then let run 
 the throat-halliards, and hauled down the throat of 
 the sail by the tack tripping-line ; whilst I rounded 
 in upon the main-sheet. Then, by lowering away 
 the peak, and carefully gathering in the canvas as 
 it came down, we got our big sail snugly down
 
 102 The Secret of (he Sands. 
 
 without any trouble. This we carefully stowed 
 and covered up with its coat. 
 
 Next, Bob got the jib in, close-reefed the bow- 
 sprit, and set the smallest or storm jib, with its 
 sheet eased well off. I hauled in the weather 
 fore-sheet until it was just in the wake of the mast, 
 and our little barkie was then left to take care of 
 herself whilst we got the trysail bent and set. 
 
 This done, we filled away again upon our course, 
 with reduced speed, it is true, but very comfort- 
 ably indeed. 
 
 It was well we took these precautions when we 
 did, for by noon that day it had hardened down 
 into a regular summer gale, with a really formid- 
 able sea for so small a craft. Still, we continued 
 to run away very nearly dead before it, and that 
 too without deviating from our proper course. 
 
 I managed, with the utmost difficult}', in conse- 
 quence of the violent motion of the boat, to get 
 an observation at noon, by which I found that we 
 had run, since six o'clock on the previous evening, 
 a distance of no less than one hundred and sixty- 
 four miles. This placed us at about the entrance 
 to the Bay of Biscay, which we were thus running
 
 A Gale in the Bay of Biscay. 103 
 
 into in a gale of wind. Still, I did not experience 
 the sliehtest degree of alarm : our little craft was 
 behaving beautifully — angelically, Bob termed it, 
 and really it almost merited the expression. As 
 she fell away into the trough of the sea, our low 
 sails would become almost becalmed under the lee 
 of the following wave ; but as she lifted with it, 
 the wind would again fill them out, and she would 
 dart away again just in time to escape the mishap 
 of being pooped by its breaking and hissing crest. 
 
 At four p.m. I again succeeded in obtaining an 
 observation, this time for the longitude. On work- 
 ing it up, we proved to be rather to leeward of 
 our proper track ; so we hauled up a point or so, 
 and at six o'clock decided to try what she was like 
 when hove-to. 
 
 Watching an opportunity, we brought her to 
 the wind on the starboard tack, first stowing our 
 foresail, and found, to our great delight, that she 
 rode like a gull. Beyond an occasional shower of 
 spray, she shipped not a drop of water, although 
 the gale was still increasing, and the sea rising 
 rapidly. 
 
 We took a reef in our trysail, afterwards hoist-
 
 104 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 ing the g^aff as high as it would go, so as to avoid, 
 as much as possible, being becalmed in the trough 
 of the sea, and then we were snug for the night. 
 
 Bob was a veteran seaman, and I had been in 
 many a heavy blow before this — in gales, in fact, 
 to which this was a mere nothing, comparatively 
 speaking ; yet neither of us could help feeling im- 
 pressed — and for myself I may say somewhat 
 awe-stricken — at the sublimity of the scene as the 
 evening closed in. Hitherto, our experiences of 
 gales of wind had come to us with a good, whole- 
 some ship under our feet ; but now we found our- 
 selves face to face with one in a mere boat, little 
 more than a toy craft. The sea, though nothing 
 like as high as I had frequently seen it before, 
 now wore a more formidable aspect than I could 
 ever have believed possible. The hackneyed ex- 
 pression of " running mountains high" seemed 
 strictly applicable ; and I fairly own to having 
 experienced, for, I believe, the first time in my 
 life, a qualm or two of fear on that night. 
 
 The liquid hills, their foaming ridges as high as 
 the top of our lower-mast, swept down upon us 
 with an impetuous fury which seemed irresistible ;
 
 A Gale in the Bay of Biscay. 105 
 
 and the effect was further heightened, as darkness 
 closed around us, by the phosphorescent glare and 
 gleam of their breaking crests. But the Lily rose 
 lightly and buoyantly to each as it rushed down 
 upon her, surmounting its crest in a blinding 
 shower of spray, and then settling easily into the 
 trough between it and the next one. 
 
 The roaring of the gale, too, and the angry hiss 
 of the storm-lashed waters, contributed their quota 
 to the feelinsf of awe with which we looked abroad 
 from our pigmy ark. 
 
 But confidence returned after a while, as we 
 watched the ease with which the little craft over- 
 rode the seas ; and when I at length turned into 
 my hammock, it was with a sense of security I 
 could not have believed possible a couple of hours 
 before. 
 
 We hoisted a carefully-trimmed and brilliant 
 lamp well up on our fore-stay as soon as night 
 closed in, for we were in the track of the outward- 
 bound ships going to the southward, and should 
 one of these gentlemen come booming down upon 
 us before the gale during the night, it would be 
 rather difficult to avoid him.
 
 106 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 It was well that we took this precaution, for no 
 less than five passed us in Bob's watch, and three 
 more in mine, one of them coming near enough to 
 hail ; but what he said it was impossible for me 
 to hear, the howling of the wind and the hissing 
 of the water so close to me utterly drowning the 
 words. 
 
 I conjectured, however, that it was some inquiry 
 as to whether we wanted assistance of any kind, 
 and on the strength of this supposition I roared 
 back at the top of my voice : 
 
 " All right ; very comfortable." 
 
 A figure in the mizzen rigging waved his hand, 
 and the noble craft (she looked like an Australian 
 liner, and was carrying topmast and lower stun- 
 sails) swept onward, and was soon afterwards 
 swallowed up in the darkness and mist. 
 
 The falling in with so tiny a craft so far at sea, 
 and in a gale of wind, and the announcement that 
 she was "all right and very comfortable," must 
 have been rather a novel experience for them, I 
 imagine. 
 
 About noon next day the gale broke, and by 
 four o'clock the wind had gone down sufficiently
 
 A Gale in the Bay of Biscay. 107 
 
 to justify us in making sail and filling away upon 
 our course once more. This we did by setting 
 our reefed mainsail, foresail, and No. 2 jib. The 
 wind had continued to haul round too, and was 
 now pretty steady at about north-east. This 
 rapidly smoothed the water down, so that we 
 had a comparatively quiet night ; and the wind 
 continuing to drop, we shook out our reefs next 
 morning at eight bells, and got the big jib and 
 small gaff-topsail upon her. 
 
 The evening but one following we got a glimpse 
 of Cape Finisterre about six o'clock, and this 
 enabled us to corroborate our position. From 
 this point we shaped a course for Madeira, and 
 after a splendid run of seven days from the Lizard 
 and eight from Weymouth we arrived at Funchal at 
 half-past five o'clock on the Wednesday evening 
 following that on which I took leave of my dear 
 sister. 
 
 As Bob was busy below getting tea, and I was 
 stowing the canvas, a steamer came in with a flag 
 flying, which, on taking a look at it through the 
 glass, I recognised as the distinguishing flag of the 
 Cape mail-boats, so I left everything just as it
 
 io8 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 was, dashed down below, and penned a few hasty 
 lines home, giving a brief outline of our adven- 
 tures so far, and taking care not to lay too much 
 stress upon the gale, whilst I was equally careful 
 to do full justice to the Water Lilys sea-going 
 qualities, that my sister's apprehensions might be 
 as much allayed as possible. 
 
 As soon as I had finished and sealed the epistle 
 I joined Bob upon deck to assist him in putting 
 our novel boat together, which done, we pulled on 
 board the mail-boat, where we were very kindly 
 received ; and I gave my letter into the hands of 
 the captain, who promised (and faithfully redeemed 
 his promise too) to post it on his arrival home. 
 
 I afterwards found that he reported us also, so 
 that the Water Lily duly appeared in the "ship- 
 ping" columns of the various papers, and my 
 yachting friends thus got an inkling of our success 
 thus far. 
 
 I shall not attempt any description of Madeira, 
 or indeed of any other of the well-known spots at 
 which we touched. The places have been so 
 often and so fullv described in the many books of 
 travel which have been written, that any further
 
 A Gale in the Bay of Biscay. 109 
 
 description, or at all events such description as I 
 could give, is quite superfluous. It will suffice for 
 me merely to say that Bob and I spent three days 
 stretching our somewhat cramped limbs in this 
 most lovely island, and discussing which route we 
 should take to the Pacific. 
 
 We had often discussed this question before ; 
 but it was with a feeling of indifference which 
 precluded our arriving at any definite and absolute 
 decision upon the matter. It was now, however, 
 time that this point was settled, as it would affect 
 our course soon after leaving the island, or, at all 
 events, when we came to the Cape de Verdes. 
 
 The eastern route would be much longer than 
 the western ; but I felt disposed to adopt it, in the 
 belief that we should be favoured with much 
 better weather. I entertained a very wholesome 
 dread of the "Horn" — the notorious "Cape of 
 Storms." Bob, on the other hand, was all for the 
 western route. 
 
 " I'm willin' to allow," observed he, "that a trip 
 round the Horn ain't like a day's cruise in the 
 Solent — all pleasuring; but I've knowed ships to 
 come round under r'yal stunsails, and that more
 
 1 1 o The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 than once. The place is bad enough ; but, like 
 many another thing, not so black as it's painted. 
 It's got a bad name, and that, we know, sticks to 
 a place or to a body through thick and thin. I've 
 been round five times, twice outward-bound and 
 three times homeward, and we always had plenty 
 of wind ; but only once did I round it in a reg'lar 
 gale, and then, had the Lily been there, I'll lay 
 my grog for the rest of the v'yage she'd have 
 made better weather of it than the old barkie I 
 was aboard of. It's risky, I know ; but so's the 
 whole trip for that matter, though, so far, by what 
 I've seen of the little craft, I'd as lieve be aboard 
 her in a gale of wind as I would be in ere a ship 
 that ever was launched. She's cramped for room, 
 and when you've said that you've said all as any 
 man can say ag'in her. Besides, see how 'twill 
 shorten the v'yage. Once round the Horn and 
 you're there, as you may say, or next door to it. 
 And then, there's 'Magellan; 1 if, when we get 
 down about there, things don't look promising for 
 a trip round outside of everything, ram her through 
 the Straits. I've been through 'em once, and an 
 ugly enough passage it was too, blowing a whole
 
 A Gale in the Bay of Biscay. 1 1 1 
 
 gale ; but there's thousands of places where the 
 Lily would lie as snug as if she was in dock, but 
 where a large ship dursen't venture for her life." 
 
 I yielded, as I generally did in such matters, to 
 Bob's judgment ; and it was settled that the 
 Water Lily should brave Cape Horn with all its 
 perils. On the fourth day of our stay at Funchal 
 we filled up our water-tank, made a few additions to 
 our stores (among others, a small stock of the 
 famous wine produced by the island) ; and towards 
 evening stood out to sea again, with our main- 
 boom well garnished with bunches of bananas and 
 nets of various kinds of fruits ; the wind at the 
 time being light, from about east-south-east, with 
 a fine settled look about the weather. This lasted 
 us for four days, and ran us fairly into the " trades," 
 and on the third day following, just as the sun 
 was dipping beneath the horizon, we sighted St. 
 Antonio, the westernmost of the Cape Verde 
 Islands. 
 
 The "trades" were blowing very moderately 
 as it happened, and the weather was as fine as 
 heart could wish, with a nearly full moon into the 
 bargain, so we were able to carry not only a jib-
 
 1 1 2 The Secret of l/ie Sands. 
 
 headed topsail, but also our spinnaker at the bow- 
 sprit end ; and under this canvas the little beauty 
 made uncommonly short miles of it, tripping along 
 like a rustic belle going to her first ball. We fell 
 in with several homeward-bound ships, all of 
 whom we requested to report us on their arrival 
 as "all well." So fine a run had we from the 
 Cape de Verdes, that on the morning of the fifth 
 day after sighting them we ran into the "dol- 
 drums" or region of calms and light variable airs 
 which prevail about the line. 
 
 Here our light duck did us valuable service, for 
 though the wind soon fell so light that it became 
 imperceptible to us, and not a ripple disturbed the 
 glassy surface of the water, by getting our enor- 
 mous balloon gaff-topsail aloft we managed to catch 
 enough wind from somewhere to fan us along at the 
 rate of nearly three knots. True, the breeze was 
 very variable, our boom being sometimes on one 
 side and sometimes on the other, sometimes square 
 out (at least as far as the little air of wind had 
 power to project it), and sometimes hauled close 
 in as the flaws headed us, and broke us off two or 
 three points one side or the other of our course.
 
 A Gale in the Bay of Biscay. 1 1 3 
 
 But, in spite of the baffling airs, such good pro- 
 gress did we make, that by two o'clock that after- 
 noon we were gliding slowly through a fleet of 
 about forty sail of vessels which were so com- 
 pletely becalmed that they were heading in all 
 directions, utterly without steerage-way. 
 
 We reported ourselves to such as we passed 
 within hail of, and finally, about four o'clock, 
 ranged up alongside of and boarded a beautiful 
 little barque of about three hundred and fifty tons, 
 whose monkey-poop we saw full of passengers 
 (some of whom were ladies), regarding us with 
 the utmost curiosity as we approached. She 
 turned out to be from Natal, bound to London ; 
 and her captain (a perfect gentleman both in 
 aopearance and manner) not only promised to 
 report us, but gave us a hearty welcome on board, 
 and so cordial an invitation to dinner that there 
 was no resisting it. 
 
 Our story, or at least as much of it as we chose 
 to tell (which was simply that we were taking the 
 cruise partly as an adventure, and partly with the 
 object of seeking intelligence of my father), was of 
 course soon drawn out of us ; and, naturally 
 
 vol. i. 8
 
 1 1 4 The Secret of tJic Sands. 
 
 enoucrh, it excited the liveliest astonishment in 
 the minds of our hearers, and soon got all over 
 the ship. We excited some curiosity on board 
 the other ships too, for no less than four captains 
 lowered their boats and pulled alongside to learn 
 where the pigmy cutter had sprung from. 
 
 The little craft was regarded with the greatest 
 curiosity and admiration, especially by the ladies 
 (who are of course good judges of the model of a 
 vessel), some of them declaring that they would 
 be delighted (with strong emphasis) to make a 
 voyage in such a little darling of a yacht. 
 
 We mustered quite a strong party at the dinner- 
 table, what with the regular party, the four visit- 
 ing captains (who were also pressed to stay), and 
 our two selves, and a very merry one withal. We 
 contributed to the dessert from our stock on the 
 main-boom ; and they only who have enjoyed it 
 can say what a luxury is fresh fruit on the line, 
 especially when one has been a long time on board 
 a ship. 
 
 The skipper produced unlimited champagne (of 
 which, for a wonder, he still had a very fair stock) 
 in honour of the occasion, and "a prosperous
 
 A Gale tn the Bay of Biscay. 1 1 5 
 
 voyage, and success to the Water Lily" was 
 drunk over and over again that evening. We 
 kept it up until nearly midnight, the poop being 
 converted into a ball-room by merely hanging a 
 few lamps in the mizzen-rigging ; the orchestra 
 consisting of one of the seamen, who played the 
 concertina better than I ever heard it played before 
 or since. 
 
 The weather being as I have described it, with 
 out any signs of a change, such a departure from 
 the ordinary routine of the ship was permissible, 
 and I have no doubt everybody on board was 
 o-lad enough of an occurrence which crave such an 
 excuse for breaking in upon the monotony of the 
 voyage. 
 
 Tedious enough they must have found it, for it 
 appeared that they had already been becalmed 
 five days, and had not altered their position as 
 many miles ; and there seemed every prospect of 
 their being becalmed five days more, for the 
 glass was as steady as if the mercury had been 
 solid. 
 
 At last we visitors made signs of moving. The 
 captains of the other vessels ordered their crews 
 
 8—2
 
 116 The Secret of tJie Sands. 
 
 into their boats, and I was just about going over 
 the side on my way to our small cabin to write a 
 hasty line to Ada (our kind host having promised 
 to post my letter for me immediately on his 
 arrival), when a seaman stepped up to me, and 
 with the usual nautical scrape of the foot and a 
 respectful " Beg pardon, sir," intimated a desire to 
 speak to me. 
 
 " There's a strange yarn going the rounds of 
 this here craft's fo'c'sle," said he, " about your 
 bein' on a sort of v'yage of discovery a'ter your 
 father, sir." 
 
 I said, "Certainly; it was perfectly true." 
 "Well, sir," said he, "maybe I might be able to 
 help you in your search. It needs no prophet to 
 tell that you are Captain Collingwood's son, when 
 a man gets a fair squint at your figure-head, 
 axing your pardon, sir, for my boldness ; and if 
 you'll just give me your word that nothing I may say 
 shall tell agin me, I'll tell you all I knows about it, 
 and gladly too; for I sailed with your father, sir, 
 and a kinder skipper or a better seaman never trod 
 a deck than he was, as I've had good reason to 
 know."
 
 A Gale in the Bay of Biscay. 1 1 7 
 
 " Was?" exclaimed I, with a sudden sinking of 
 heart. 
 
 "And is still, for aught I know, sir; at least I 
 hope so ; there's no reason why he mayn't be still 
 alive," replied the man, fully understanding all the 
 meaning of my exclamation. 
 
 "Thank God for that," replied I fervently. 
 "But why is this strange pledge required ? 
 Surely, fellow, you will not have the temerity to 
 tell me — his son — that he has been the victim of 
 any foul play ? If so " 
 
 " Not on my part, sir, I'll take my Bible oath," 
 said he. "What I did I was forced to do to save 
 my own life. Gladly would I have helped the 
 skipper if I could ; but what can one man do agin 
 a whole ship's crew." 
 
 "Much, if he have the will," replied I. " I will 
 give no pledge whatever, beyond this. Tell me 
 your story, and if I find you were powerless to 
 prevent the evil which I begin to suspect has 
 befallen my poor father, you have nothing to 
 fear ; but if I find that you have in any way 
 aided " 
 
 " Never, sir. If I could have had my will the
 
 i iS The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 skipper would not be where, I suppose, he is now ; 
 but you shall hear all I have to say, and then 
 judge for yourself whether I could prevent any- 
 thing that happened or no."
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE FATE OF THE " AMAZON." 
 
 The man who, in this unexpected manner, brought 
 me intelligence of my father, belonged to the 
 crew of one of the visiting captains' boats, and a 
 word or two of explanation was sufficient to pro- 
 cure the delay in the boat's departure necessary 
 to permit the fellow to tell his story. 
 
 In order to be a little more alone, Bob (who 
 was, in a few words, made acquainted with the 
 facts of the case), the seaman, and I went down 
 over the side to the Water Lilys deck, when, as 
 soon as we had comfortably bestowed ourselves, 
 the man thus be^an : 
 
 " You must know, gentlemen, to commence 
 with, that I was shipped, among others, on board 
 the Amazon at Canton. Dysentery was awful
 
 120 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 bad among the crews just at that time, and no less 
 than seven was ashore fromour old barkie bad, when 
 she left. Two chaps run as soon as she got in, 
 and couldn't be found agin ; so there was nine 
 berths in the fo'c'sle to be filled when she was 
 ready to sail. As I was sayin', I was one of the 
 new hands shipped. Englishmen was scarce 
 somehow just then, and the skipper had to take 
 what he could get. Consequence w r as, he shipped 
 three Portuguese, a Spaniard, a Greek, two 
 Frenchmen, and a Yankee, besides myself. The 
 third mate was ashore bad, and the second mate 
 had died, so the Yankee (who seemed a smartish 
 sort of chap) was made second mate, and one of 
 the old fo'c'sle men was put into the third mate's 
 berth. When we got aboard, we found the 
 hatches on, and all ready for a start, and that 
 same a'ternoon we unmoored, and away we 
 went. 
 
 " We was the first ship as went away with any of 
 the new teas, and the skipper was awful anxious for 
 a quick run home. We carried on night and day ; 
 but the weather was light with us, and we didn't 
 get along half as such a smart ship ought to ha'
 
 The Fate of the Amazon. 121 
 
 done, for she was a reg'lar flyer, as perhaps you 
 gentlemen both knows. 
 
 " Well, we hadn't been out above a week when, 
 whether 'twas worryin' at the light winds, or what 
 'twas I can't say, but the poor skipper was laid on 
 his beam-ends with fever, and it took the chief 
 mate all his time to prevent his jumping over- 
 board. However, it didn't seem to matter so 
 much, so far as the ship was consarned, for the 
 Yankee second mate turned out to be a first rate 
 navigator, and he in a way took charge of the craft., 
 
 " Well, gentlemen, how it ail came about, I 
 can't say, for I never noticed anything wrong. 
 True, some of the chaps talked a bit queer to me 
 at times ; but I thought 'twas all a bit of a flam ; 
 but, howsomever, one fine night my Yankee 
 gentleman and the new hands takes the ship. At 
 eight bells in the first watch, the watch below was 
 called ; and as soon as they came on deck three on 
 'em goes straight over and jines the mutineers 
 without a word ; so it was clear as 'twas all 
 planned afore among 'em. That left only three 
 whites out of the plot — the Lascars had all been 
 bribed or frightened into jining in with t'others — ■
 
 i 2 2 TJie Secret of the Sands. 
 
 and, out of us three, two was lying on deck, 
 lashed hands and heels together when I come up 
 throuefh the fore scuttle. 
 
 " The minute my foot touched the deck, I was 
 tripped up and secured before I was fairly awake, 
 and stowed alongside of the two other chaps. Then 
 my noble Yankee, he steps up and stands in front 
 of us three, and he says, says he, ' Now you chaps, 
 you see how it is ; we've got the ship and we means 
 to keep her ; and we've made up our minds to do 
 a little bit of pirating ; make our fortunes ; and 
 then cut the sea and live like gentlemen for the 
 rest of our days ashore. If you've a mind to jine 
 us, well and good ; if not, there's a plank sticking 
 over the bows, and I'll be obliged to trouble you 
 to take a short walk on it for the benefit of your 
 constitooshuns. You've got five minutes allowed 
 to make up your minds.' 
 
 " When the time was up, one of the chaps was 
 unlashed, and the Yankee asks him what he 
 intends to do. 
 
 " ' I'll walk that plank, if I must,' says he ; 
 
 'but I hope I'm too honest to turn my hand to 
 your pirating,' says he.
 
 The Fate of the Amazon. 123 
 
 "'All right,' says the Yankee; 'just as you 
 please ; there's no compulsion ; only if you're so 
 confounded honest,' says he, ' you'll have to leave 
 this here ship,' says he, ' for we can't afford the 
 room to stow away sich a bulky article as honesty. 
 That's your road, and a pleasant passage to ye,' 
 says he, pointin' to the plank. 
 
 " Poor Bill — I can see him now, it seems to me 
 — he stood for about half a minute looking far 
 away into the moonlit sky, thinking of his friends, 
 maybe, if he had any ; and then, without a word, 
 he steps to the rail, puts his hands upon it, jumps 
 up on to the top of the bulwarks, and next minute 
 there was a splash alongside, and he was gone. 
 
 " T'other chap was then cast adrift, and he was 
 asked the same question. 
 
 " ' I've sailed with Bill/ says he, l for nigh on 
 six years, and never knew a truer-hearted ship- 
 mate, or a better seaman,' says he ; ' and since it 
 must be, here goes,' says he ' to take our last 
 cruise in company.' 
 
 " And he too jumps upon the rail just as Bill 
 did, and, without waitin' a second, launches him- 
 self overboard a'ter him.
 
 I2.J. The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 "It was now my turn. I'd been thinking 
 matters over in my mind whilst all this was going 
 on ; and I'll confess I found it hard to make up 
 my mind to die. ' Whilst there's life there's hope,' 
 thinks I ; ' and it can but come to a launch over 
 the side at last, if the worst comes to the worst ;' 
 so when they asked me what I intended to do, 
 says I, ' Tell me, first of all, what's become of the 
 skipper ?' says I. 
 
 " ' He's below in his bunk,' says the Yankee, 
 ' and the mate with him, and there they're wel- 
 come to stay so long as they don't interfere with 
 us,' says he, • and I'll take good care they don't,' 
 says he. ' But what's that to do with you ?' 
 
 " ' Well,' says I, ' I likes the skipper ; he's been 
 a eood friend to me, and I couldn't be content to 
 see harm come to him. If you'll promise to shove 
 him ashore all safe,' says I, ' I don't mind taking a 
 hand in your little game.' 
 
 " ' Very sensible indeed,' says the Yanko ; 
 1 you've a darned sight better notions in your 
 head than they two stupid cusses as has just gone 
 over the side with nothin' to ballast 'em but their 
 — honesty,' says he ; ' and as for the skipper—
 
 The Fate of the Amazon. 125 
 
 make your mind easy. We've no grudge agin 
 him ; all we wants is the ship ; and now we've got 
 her, we means to put the skipper and the mate 
 both ashore somewheres where they can be snug 
 and comfortable like together, but where there'll 
 be no chance of our hearin' anything more from 
 'em for the rest of their lives.' 
 
 " And that's the way it was all settled," con- 
 tinued the man. " I made up my mind I'd never 
 do no pirating if I could help it ; and I thought 
 maybe if I stuck to the craft, I might be able to 
 help the skipper a bit somehow, and if ever I got 
 a chance, why, I'd make a clean run for it, and I 
 reckoned I should find a way to do that the first 
 port we touched at. 
 
 " Well, as soon as matters was arranged, the 
 Yankee takes the command, and makes the Greek 
 chief mate ; the watches was divided, the course 
 altered, and away we goes to the east'ard, on the 
 starboard tack, with a taut bowline and everything 
 set as would draw, from the skysails down. One 
 hand is told off from each watch to keep a look- 
 out in the cabin ; and the steward has his orders 
 to do everything he could for the poor skipper.
 
 126 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 He had a hard time of it, poor man, for when he 
 was getting better, and the truth couldn't any 
 longer be kept from him, the mate told him what 
 had happened, and the news took him so com- 
 pletely aback that he got as bad as ever again, 
 and the wonder is that he didn't slip his cables 
 altogether. However, he managed to hold on to 
 : em, and at last the fever left him ; but lie was 
 that weak he hadn't strength to turn over in his 
 berth without help. 
 
 " All this time we were going to the east'ard, 
 or about east-south-east, with everything set that 
 the spars would bear. At last, about a month or 
 maybe five weeks after the mutiny — I didn't keep 
 much account of the time — we fetches up, all 
 standing, one dark night, upon a coral reef, before 
 we knowed where we was. There warn't much 
 sea on, and we happened to touch where there was 
 nearly water enough to float us ; so we bumped 
 and thumped gradually right over the reef into deep 
 water — at least about ten fathoms — on t'other side. 
 The well was sounded, and we found five feet of 
 water in the hold ; so, as there was land of some 
 sort close aboard of us, the Yankee rams her
 
 The Fate of the Amazon. 127 
 
 straight on to it to save her from sinking under 
 us. 
 
 " When daylight broke, we found ourselves on 
 the sandy beach of a small island, with reefs all 
 round us ; but a space of about a quarter to half a 
 mile of clear water everywhere between the reefs 
 and the island. 
 
 " The cargo was roused out, and the ship 
 examined, as well as it could be done, to learn the 
 extent of the damage, for the Yankee talked about 
 careening her to repair her bottom ; but we soon 
 found that the job was too much for us. So we 
 stayed on the island about a week, fitting out the 
 launch and the pinnace ; and when all was ready, 
 and everything stowed in the boats that it was 
 thought we should want, we made sail to the 
 nor'ard and east'ard ; not, however, until the rest 
 of the boats had been destroyed, and the skipper 
 and mate made all snu<j and comfortable like in a 
 tent ashore." 
 
 " Then you were inhuman enough," exclaimed 
 I, " to leave my poor father, sick as he was, on a 
 desert island ?" 
 
 "He was better off" there than he would ha'
 
 128 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 been with us," replied the man. " The island was 
 a first-rate spot, with cocoa-nuts and bananas, and 
 lots of other fruits, no end ; plenty of fresh water, 
 and the bulk of the ship's stores to draw from. 
 It was a lovely spot ; lots of shade, pure air, and 
 pretty nigh everything a man could want, what 
 with the stores, and the fruit, and so on. He 
 must have died, had we taken him away in the 
 boats, for the sun beat down upon us awful, and 
 the heat was reflected back from the surface 
 of the water to that extent we was nearly 
 roasted. 
 
 " Well, we'd been to sea nigh on to three 
 weeks, and was getting pretty short of water, 
 though we touched at a couple of islands and 
 filled up again, on our way, when one evening — 
 there wasn't a breath of air blowincr — we sighted 
 a sail to the nor'ard of us. She was becalmed, 
 like ourselves. 
 
 " The Yankee takes a good lone: look at her, 
 or at least at her to'gallants'ls, which was all we 
 could see, and then tells us he'd made up his mind 
 to have a slap at the chap during the night We 
 carefully took her bearings, dowsed our canvas,
 
 The Fate of the Amazon. 129 
 
 and pulled leisurely towards her. At last, when 
 we thought we were beginning to near her, we 
 muffled our oars, and then paddled on again, both 
 boats within oar's length of each other. 
 
 " We pulled for about an hour, and then waited 
 for some sign of her whereabouts — for we reckoned 
 we must be close aboard of her — but it was that 
 dark you couldn't see the length of your nose. 
 After waiting a goodish spell — none of us speak- 
 ing a word for fear of giving an alarm — we hears 
 eight bells struck, somewhere away upon our port 
 quarter. 
 
 "We had passed her, so we pulled very quietly 
 round and just paddled in the direction we thought 
 she was lying. In about five minutes the Yankee 
 says, ' I see her,' says he ; and we stopped 
 paddling. The pinnace was hanging on astern of 
 us, so's we shouldn't lose one another in the dark ; 
 and she was hauled up, the men in her told what 
 to do, and the ship pointed out to them ; and then 
 we pulled away very quietly again. 
 
 "By this time we could just make out a dim some- 
 thing towering up in the darkness, which we knew 
 to be her sails. In another minute our boat was 
 
 vol. 1. 9
 
 i ^o The Scent oj the Sands. 
 
 alongside on her starboard quarter, and the pinnace 
 on her larboard quarter ; we shinned up her low 
 sides, and before the watch on deck could rub 
 their eyelids open, we had her. 
 
 " She turned out to be a little Yankee brig, 
 with a cargo of sandalwood, and was bound to 
 Canton. 
 
 " Some of her crew joined us, the rest — the poor 
 skipper and the first mate among 'em — was hove 
 overboard, and the sharks had a good meal. She 
 mounted four sixes, and had a well-stocked arm- 
 chest, so that, with the arms we brought with us 
 from the old Amazon, we was pretty well off. We 
 mustered a good strong crew too — twenty-nine 
 altogether, counting the Lascars — so, as the brig 
 was a beautiful m< del, and, we soon found, sailed 
 like a witch, our skipper decided to set up for a 
 pirate at once. 
 
 " Well, gentlemen, it kept stark calm for two 
 whole days after we'd took the brig, and Johnson 
 — that was the Yankee's name, Edward Johnson 
 — he kept us all busy during that time disguising 
 the craft, }))■ painting the hull and spars afresh, 
 and such like ; and the carpenter he was sent over
 
 The Fate of the Amazon. 131 
 
 the starn on a stage to fix a plank over the name, 
 on which he'd carved a lot of flourishes and such 
 like, and the word Albatross, which was what John- 
 son had re-christened her, and by the time wed 
 finished, her own builder wouldn't have knowed her. 
 
 " After everything was finished to his satisfac- 
 tion, he calls us all aft, and tells us that he'd been 
 thinking matters over, and he'd decided to take 
 the ship to Hong-Kong, and get rid of the sandal- 
 wood there, and get a lot of things that was 
 wanted to complete our outfit, and make us fit for 
 a good long cruise. 
 
 " Accordin'ly as soon as the breeze sprang up, 
 away we goes, never falling in with anything as 
 Johnson thought it worth his while to meddle 
 with all the way. 
 
 " We had a pretty quick run, for the brig sailed 
 quite wonderful ; and all the while I was turning 
 over in my mind how to get away. I intended 
 to take the first chance as offered, as soon as we 
 got in; but Johnson was a 'cute chap, none of 
 us was let out of the ship any more'n he could 
 help, and then only they as he knowed he could 
 
 trust. 
 
 9—2
 
 132 77 c Secret of the Sands. 
 
 " At last the cargo was out and the ballast in, 
 the brig cleared for the South Pacific, and every- 
 thing ready for sailing next morning, and I'd 
 had no chance to get away, and I was beginning 
 to think things were looking queer with me. But 
 I didn't give up all hope, for I knowed a chance 
 might offer at the last minute, if I was but ready 
 to take it. 
 
 " Some time during the night I woke up and 
 went on deck for a minute or two, and found it 
 as black as pitch. There wasn't a soul moving 
 in the ship. I don't know where the anchor 
 watch was, stowed away asleep somewheres, likely. 
 Anyhow, I thought to myself that now was my 
 chance, so, without waiting another minute, I 
 climbs over the bows, and lets myself quietly 
 down into the water by the cable. As soon as I 
 was adrift, I lets the tide take me, for I was afraid 
 of makin' so much as a splash whilst I was near 
 the ship. I drifted astern for about five minutes, 
 and then struck out. I hadn't taken no bearings, 
 and didn't know where the shore was ; but I saw 
 a few lights, and I shaped a course for them. 
 
 " But after I'd swam about a matter of twenty
 
 The Fate of the Amazon. 133 
 
 minutes I found I was farther away from 'em than 
 I was when I started ; and then the thought 
 flashed into my mind that the tide must be on 
 the ebb, and that I was going out to sea. I was 
 so took aback that I went under. But I didn't 
 feel like giving up without I was obliged ; so I 
 struggled to the top of the water again, and then 
 turned over on my back to think matters over a bit. 
 But I didn't find much encouragement that way ; 
 and I was beginning to think it was all up with 
 me — 'specially as I was getting pretty tired — when 
 I heard a sound some distance away, like a coil of 
 rope hove down on deck. 
 
 " I started to swim in the direction of the 
 sound, and after perhaps about five minutes I 
 makes out something away on my port bow. I 
 gives a shout as loud as I could, and that sends 
 me under again ; so I soon found that game 
 wouldn't answer. 
 
 " However I stretched out as hard as I could, 
 and got alongside ; but there warn't nothing to 
 take hold of, and she slips past me. I was too 
 done up to sing out again ; but I starts to swim 
 after her, when I strikes my head against some-
 
 134 T/ic Secret of the Sands. 
 
 thing-, and it turns out to be a boat towing astern. 
 I got hold of the gunnel, and managed somehow 
 to get aboard, and then down I goes into the 
 bottom of her, too exhausted to do anything. 
 
 11 I dropped off to sleep pretty soon, and was 
 only woke up when the chaps came to hoist their 
 boat in. 
 
 " The craft turned out to be a coasting junk, 
 bound to Shanghai, as I managed to make out, 
 but not another syllable could I understand of 
 their lingo or they of mine 'twould seem. 
 
 " Blest if the very next night we wasn't run 
 down by something or other — I never knowed 
 what 'twas, for they hadn't the good manners to 
 stop and pick us up. 
 
 " The mainmast of the junk was knocked out 
 of her in the smash, and I managed to get hold of 
 it and lash myself to it, just in the eyes of the 
 rigging. The yard happened to be undermost, 
 and so I had a pretty good berth. 
 
 " I floated about on that - - spar for four days 
 and nights without a bit or drop of anything, and 
 then my senses broke adrift, and I knew nothing 
 more of what happened to me for some time
 
 The Fate of the Amazon. 135 
 
 " When I came to myself I found I was on 
 board a Dutch ship, homeward bound. It turned 
 out that they passed close to my spar, and seein' 
 me lashed to it they picked me up. 
 
 " At least so I made it out ; but I knew no 
 Dutch, and there was only one chap aboard that 
 thought he knowed English ; but Lord bless ye, 
 gentlemen, / couldn't make top nor tail of what 
 he said. I manged to make out hovvs'ever that 
 I'd had a narrow squeak of it, and that's about 
 all. 
 
 " By the time I was able to get about on deck 
 again, we was well out in the Indian Ocean, and 
 everything seemed going on all right ; but, as it 
 turned out, it was all wrong, for early one morning 
 we makes land ahead, the wind bein' light and 
 dead on shore. 
 
 " The skipper hauled sharp up on the port tack 
 to try and claw off ; but a current had got hold of 
 us, and away we sagged to leeward, do what we 
 would, and at last we had to anchor. 
 
 " By-and by the breeze freshened ; but we was 
 in a very ugly berth, and the skipper didn't like 
 to make a move.
 
 136 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 " However, we didn't have a chance to settle 
 the matter for ourselves, for just about sunset the 
 old barkie struck adrift, and, before we could get 
 the canvas on her, she was in among the rocks 
 and bilged. 
 
 " We all <jot ashore, there bein' no ^reat 
 matter of a sea running, and, to make a long 
 story short, was made prisoners by the natives. 
 What become of the rest of the hands I never 
 knowed — they may be there yet for all I can say. 
 An old chap picked me out, and made a sort 
 of servant of me, and, on the whole, I had pretty 
 easy times of it. I got to find out, at last, that 
 I was somewhere on the island of Madagascar. 
 
 " I stayed here nigh on two years, I reckon ; but 
 at last I got a chance to steal a canoe and slip off 
 to a small craft that was becalmed in the offing. 
 She was luckier than the Dutchman, as we got a 
 breeze off the land about an hour after T boarded 
 her. 
 
 " She was bound to the Cape, and there I left 
 her, shipping the very same day in the craft I 
 now belong to, and sailing for home the same 
 a'ternoon."
 
 The Fate of the Amazon. 137 
 
 " Well," said I, as soon as the man had finished, 
 " if your story is true — and I see no reason to 
 doubt it— you at least are blameless as far as the 
 wrong done to my father is concerned. The only 
 question now is, whereabouts is the island on 
 which he was left ?" 
 
 " Ah, sir," replied he, " that's more'n I can tell. 
 I did hear Johnson mention the latitude and 
 longitude of it once ; but I'm blest if I can re- 
 member 'em now." 
 
 I was determined, however, to get some clue if 
 possible, however faint it might be ; and I took 
 him into our little cabin, and spread a chart of the 
 Pacific on the table. Then I got him to recall, 
 as nearly as he could, the courses and distances 
 steered by the Amazon until the time of her 
 wreck. 
 
 We managed to trace her as far as the north- 
 western extremity of New Guinea, the man 
 happening to remember hearing Johnson point 
 out some land in sight as the Cape of Good 
 Hope. 
 
 This must manifestly have been the headland 
 of that name on the north-west coast of New-
 
 138 The Secret of t lie Sands. 
 
 Guinea; but from this point he became be- 
 wildered. He remembered passing a great many 
 islands after sighting this headland, however, and 
 was of opinion that the average courses steered 
 were about south-east, and he thought it was 
 nearly a month afterwards when the ship was lost. 
 
 This placed the scene of the wreck on one of 
 the islands in the large group in which we ex- 
 pected to find our treasure-island. 
 
 I questioned the fellow until I found I had 
 extracted really every particle of information it 
 was in his power to give, and then, after reward- 
 ing him for his information, I let him go. 
 
 As soon as he was gone, I wrote a hasty note 
 to my sister, cautiously conveying to her the 
 intelligence that we had obtained a faint trace of 
 the Amazoiis fate ; a trace which, I added, we 
 intended to follow up as far as we could, and 
 having sealed and addressed my missive, I 
 hurried up over the barque's side, and placed it 
 in her captain's hands, and then took leave of him 
 with a heart)' shake of the hand and man)' good 
 wishes on his part that we might have a safe and ' 
 pleasant voyage.
 
 The Fate of the Amazon. 139 
 
 It was time we were off, for a gentle breeze 
 was springing up, and all parties were anxious 
 to avail themselves of it to the utmost extent. 
 
 As soon as we had once more got all our 
 light canvas spread, Bob, instead of turning in as 
 he had a right to do, it being his watch below, 
 came and sat down beside me, and we began to 
 discuss the strange story to which we had so 
 lately listened. 
 
 "It has enabled me definitely to make up my 
 mind upon one point, which I will now confess has 
 troubled me not a little," said I, "and that is 
 your proposal to go round the ' Horn,' Bob. 
 Ever since we settled upon that route, I have 
 been thinking of the great risks we must run by 
 adopting such a course, and I really think that, 
 but for this, I should have hauled sharp up upon 
 the port tack as soon as we fell in with the south- 
 east trades. Now, however, I feel so anxious 
 about my father, and his condition, that I would 
 incur double the amount of risk, if need w r ere, in 
 order to reach the Pacific as soon as possible, and, 
 Bob, we must find him before we give a thought 
 to the treasure.
 
 140 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 " Right you arc," exclaimed Rob heartily ; 
 "and there's my hand upon it, Harry, my lad. 
 The treasure can wait ; but it may be of the 
 greatest consequence to the skipper to be found 
 as soon as possible. He may be ill, or tormented 
 by a parcel of cannibal savages, or a thousand 
 things may be happening to him to make 
 it important for him to have a couple of 
 trustworthy hands like ourselves added to his 
 crew as soon as may be. So shove the huzzey's 
 nose as straight for the Cape as she'll look, and 
 let's get that part of the job over as soon as we 
 can. And as to the danger of the expl'ite, we'll 
 weather it somehow. The little beauty has 
 showed us already what she can do, and with a 
 couple of prime seamen — which I take it no man 
 will deny we an; — to handle her, take my word 
 for ic, she'll carry us round as safe as e'er a craft 
 that floats." 
 
 " There's another thing I've been thinking of 
 within the last hour," continued I. " We talked 
 of going into Buenos Ayres when we first made 
 up our minds to take the route round the Horn ; 
 but even that short detention I should now like to
 
 The Fate of the Amazon. 141 
 
 avoid if possible. Want of water is really the 
 only cause which would compel us to call there, 
 thougfh I confess I should like to write a line to 
 Ada from thence, to let her know we had safely 
 
 reached so far " 
 
 " As to the first," interrupted Bob, " I feel no 
 
 consarn whatever. We are pretty certain to fall 
 
 in with heavy rains afore we get very far south ; 
 
 and if the wind happens to be light we can easily 
 
 spread one of the sails so as to catch the water, 
 
 and one good heavy thunder-shower would fill 
 
 our tank for us, and as to letters, why, we shall 
 
 perhaps have such another chance as this here 
 
 that we've just had, and that disposes of the 
 
 second difficulty. If we dont get any rain before, 
 
 there's a splendid harbour on the southermost 
 
 side of the Gulf of St. Matias, hereaway on our 
 
 starboard bow, somewheres about two or three 
 
 days' sail to the south'ard of Buenos Ayres, 
 
 and we can fill up our water there. I've been 
 
 into the place once, and a fine snug anchorage 
 
 it is. 
 
 This was a great relief to me, for in my present 
 feverish state of excitement it seemed to me that
 
 142 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 any stoppage, unless absolutely unavoidable, 
 would be more than I could endure. 
 
 By this time it was Bob's watch on deck ; but 
 I felt that it would be utterly impossible to 
 sleep if I turned in, so I insisted that he should 
 go below instead, and, after some argument, he 
 consented. 
 
 In about ten minutes more, certain sounds 
 arising through the companion told me that my 
 friend was too thorough a seaman to be kept 
 awake by excitement, and I found myself alone 
 and at liberty to indulge in the new hopes 
 which had so lately been awakened within my 
 breast.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE SEA-SERPEXT. 
 
 The breeze, though it continued light and rather 
 baffling at times, still held when the sun rose next 
 morning; and on looking astern, I found that the 
 homeward-bound ships had all disappeared ; and 
 of the outward-bound craft, our light heels had 
 enabled us to get so far ahead that the topsails of 
 the nearest were already dipping. Of course 
 light winds and smooth water made exactly our 
 kind of weather ; and the enormous spread of our 
 lighter sails caused the little craft to slip through 
 the water in quite an extraordinary manner, 
 whenever we could show them. There was just 
 enough wind to barely ruffle the surface of the 
 gently swelling ocean, yet our patent log told
 
 144 The Secret of the Sanets. 
 
 us we were going rather over six knots, mainly 
 through the persuasive influence of our spinnaker 
 and gigantic balloon topsail. 
 
 At noon our observations showed that we 
 were nearly a degree south of the line ; and 
 I began to be sanguine that the breeze we 
 now had would run us into the trades. In this, 
 however, I was disappointed ; for about sundown 
 the wind fell so light that we barely had steerage 
 way. All night long it continued the same, and 
 the greater part of next day ; and for about 
 sixteen hours I considered that we did not 
 advance more than a knot per hour. 
 
 Towards the close of that afternoon, however, 
 when I came on deck to take the first do^- 
 watch, Bob directed my attention to the ap- 
 pearance of the sky in the south-eastern quarter, 
 announcing it as his opinion that there was a 
 look of the trades about it. And so it proved, 
 for the breeze gradually freshened, and drew 
 more round from the eastward, and by eight 
 bells we were doing our nine knots, with a nice 
 fresh breeze. 
 
 This was doubtless the first of the south-
 
 The Sea-Serpent. 145 
 
 east trade -wind ; for by midnight it had so far 
 freshened that, for the sake of our spars, it 
 became necessary to take in our spinnaker and 
 balloon topsail, and to substitute for them the 
 working jib and our jib-headed topsail. Even this 
 would have been deemed perilous sail for so 
 tiny a craft by most persons ; but we were by 
 this time thoroughly acquainted with the Lily 
 and knew that she would carry with ease all the 
 canvas that her spars would bear. 
 
 Nothing particular occurred for the next two 
 days. The wind held, and continued to blow 
 with a force which was, for us, a £ood, staofgrerinof 
 breeze, but without much sea ; and we kept flying 
 to the southward at a pace which left even my 
 impatience no reason for complaint. 
 
 On the second day after getting the breeze, 
 we passed the Brazilian mail-boat near enough 
 to show our number in the yacht-list, and to ask 
 him, by signal, to report us " all well." 
 
 The next morning it was my watch on deck 
 until noon. Bob had cleared away the breakfast, 
 carefully washing up everything, and stowing 
 
 vol. 1. 10
 
 146 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 it away ; and had been in his hammock about 
 an hour. 
 
 I was enjoying the fresh beauty of the morning, 
 and the exultant feeling excited by our rapid 
 motion ; and picturing to my imagination the 
 delight with which my father would welcome the 
 appearance of our snowy canvas — when we should 
 heave in sight, when my visions were dispersed 
 by a loud, cracking sound like the report of a 
 rifle, from some distance away on our weather- 
 bow. I looked in that direction, and caught a 
 momentary glimpse of some distant object 
 whirling in the air, and immediately aftenvards 
 the sound was repeated. 
 
 I stood up to get a better view over the low 
 ridges of the sea, and at the same instant caught 
 sight of what looked like a jet of steam rising out 
 of the ocean. 
 
 "There she blows !" exclaimed I, involuntarily 
 aloud. 
 
 Again up whirled the object I had before 
 observed ; again it descended, and again came 
 the rifle-like report. 
 
 I knew in an instant now what it was. An
 
 The Sea-Serpent. 147 
 
 unfortunate whale had fallen in with his in- 
 veterate enemy, a " thresher," and had been 
 forthwith attacked. I could plainly distinguish 
 the huge creature plunging along at a great 
 rate, and at an angle of about forty-five de- 
 grees with our course ; so that he was standing 
 in such a direction as would take him across our 
 bows. 
 
 From the persistent manner in which he 
 remained at the surface, I came to the conclusion 
 that he had a second enemy to contend with in 
 the shape of a sword-fish. Indeed, the way in 
 which he began to plunge about, soon put the 
 matter almost beyond a doubt. 
 
 I was turning over in my mind whether I 
 should call Bob to see this sight, when the 
 whale, with a mighty effort, flung his huge 
 bulk completely out of the water, to a height 
 of, I should say, fifteen or twenty feet ; and, 
 sure enough, hanging to him was a large 
 sword-fish, with his beak driven deep into the 
 muscles about the root of the persecuted animal's 
 tail. 
 
 I shouted to Bob to come on deck at once, 
 
 10 — 2
 
 148 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 for we had neared each other so much by 
 this time, that I had an excellent view of the 
 combat. 
 
 And, moreover, it struck me that a slight 
 deviation in the course of the combatants might 
 bring them within extremely unpleasant proximity 
 to the little Lily, and I thought it might be 
 prudent to have Bob on deck. 
 
 He was up in an instant, not waiting to per- 
 form the almost superfluous ceremony of dressing, 
 and there we both stood, so intensely absorbed 
 in the interest of the exciting spectacle that 
 the little craft was almost left to take care of 
 herself. 
 
 The whale had got very nearly straight ahead 
 of us by this time, and not more than half a mile 
 distant. 
 
 Bob went forward, and stood leaning against 
 the mast, to get a somewhat better view. 
 Suddenly, the chase bore sharply up, and dashed 
 away at tremendous speed in exactly the opposite 
 direction to that which he had been pursuing be- 
 fore. Almost at the same instant Bob shrieked in 
 a shrill unnatural tone of voice :
 
 The Sea-Serpent. 149 
 
 " Luff! Harry — luff! round with her for the 
 Lord's sake ! Oh, my God !" 
 
 Down went the helm, and up flew the little 
 Lily into the wind, and I was just stooping to 
 let go the head-sheets (which led aft), when I 
 caught a glimpse of Bob's face, white and drawn 
 with horror, and his eyes — almost starting out of 
 his head — staring fixedly at something apparently 
 broad on our starboard bow. 
 
 I looked, naturally, in the same direction my- 
 self, and never to my dying day shall I forget 
 the frightful, appalling object which met my 
 gaze. • 
 
 At a distance of not more than three cables' 
 lengths from us, rushing through the water at a 
 speed equal to that of a railway train, and lashing 
 the water into foam with the rapid movement of 
 his huge convolutions, a monstrous serpent ap- 
 peared, darting towards the wretched persecuted 
 whale. 
 
 His vast head and fully twenty feet of his body 
 towered nearly erect above the water, and I 
 believe I am not exaggerating, nay, that I am 
 within the mark when. I say that the remaining
 
 150 The Secret of the Satins. 
 
 portion of his body, to the tail, was at least six 
 times that length. 
 
 His head was shaped much like that of a 
 pithon, and his enormous jaws, which he fre- 
 quently opened, disclosed a formidable array of 
 strong sharp fang's. His body was of a deep 
 dead brown, broadly marked with irregular 
 stripes and rings of pale stone-colour ; and he 
 emitted a strong musky odour, which, even at 
 our distance from him, was almost over- 
 powering. 
 
 Once, when he was closest to us, he turned his 
 head in our direction, and for one dread moment 
 he paused, seeming to gather his folds together 
 as though about to dart upon us, and the 
 bitterness of a frightful death thrilled through 
 me. 
 
 The next instant he sped on once more at 
 still greater speed, and before another minute 
 passed the whale was overtaken. 
 
 The ocean was, for a single; instant, lashed 
 into the semblance of a boiling caldron, we saw a 
 rapid whirling movement of the creature's enormous 
 coils, and then followed the deep bellowing cries
 
 The Sea-Serpent. 15 1 
 
 of the tortured whale, and the crunching sound of 
 its crushing bones. 
 
 During the minute or two which had passed 
 since our helm was put down, the Lily had been 
 lying to on the starboard tack ; our head sheets still 
 remaining fast on the starboard side. 
 
 The seizure of the whale awoke me, as from 
 a horrible nightmare, to the fearful peril to which 
 we still remained exposed ; and I jammed the 
 helm hard up, and wore the craft sharp round on 
 her heel until dead before the wind, when I 
 eased off the main sheet, and we hurried as fast 
 as the wind would take us away from the 
 spot. 
 
 As soon as we had got the Water Lily round, 
 and were fairly running away from our dangerous 
 neighbour, we both, with one accord, turned 
 a look astern, to ascertain the condition of things 
 in that quarter. 
 
 The serpent and the whale had both dis- 
 appeared. Doubtless the former had sunk with 
 his prey to those profound depths which form 
 his usual habitat, there to enjoy his meal 
 undisturbed.
 
 IS- The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 " Well," at last exclaimed Bob, " I've been 
 knocking about at sea now nigh on thirty 
 year ; and many's the strange sight these good- 
 looking eyes of mine have looked upon in 
 that time; but this here sarpent beats all. / 
 never seed the likes of the thing afore, and 
 I don't care if I never sees it agin. I've heern 
 tell of such things bein' fallen in with, sartaintlv ; 
 but I never could meet with a man as had 
 act'ally seed the beast with his own eyes ; and 
 I put it all down as a yarn for the marines. 
 But seem' is believin' ; and we've had a good 
 look at him, and no mistake. I'm quite satisfied ; 
 I don't want to see no more to make me a 
 believer in sich things." 
 
 " No," replied I ; "it was impossible to make 
 any mistake, with such a view as we obtained 
 of the creature ; and I shall henceforward be far 
 more ready than I have hitherto been to give 
 credit to the accounts which are occasionally 
 published of such appearances. I do not at all 
 expect that we shall be believed when we make 
 known our adventure, any more than others have 
 been ; but that will not alter the facts of the case.
 
 The Sea-Serpent. 153 
 
 The almost universal scepticism with which 
 announcements of such creatures' appearances 
 are treated is, after all, not very difficult to 
 account for. They doubtless inhabit only the 
 extreme depths of the ocean, and are probably 
 endowed with the means of sustaining life whilst 
 sunk for long periods — if not for an indefinite 
 time — at those depths ; it is easy, therefore (sup- 
 posing such to be the case) to understand that it 
 may be quite opposed to the creature's habits 
 to appear at the surface at all / and that, when 
 it does so, it will be — as, indeed, we have every 
 reason to suppose — at very lengthened intervals ; 
 and then, probably, only in consequence of some 
 unusually disturbing influence. The opportunities 
 of seeing the reptile must necessarily, under such 
 circumstances, be extremely few ; and it is quite 
 possible, or rather I should say, very likely, that 
 many of its visits to the upper world have been 
 entirely unwitnessed. In the present instance, 
 for example, no eyes but ours were witnesses 
 of the scene which so lately took place ; and had 
 we been but a dozen miles from the spot, it 
 would have passed unnoticed even by us. And
 
 1 54 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 my observation of mankind, Bob, has led me 
 to the conclusion that the race are extremely 
 sceptical as to the existence of everything but 
 what is W/known." 
 
 " Very true, Harry, my lad," returned Bob ; 
 "you reels it all off just like a book, and therein 
 you shows the advantages of laming. I knows 
 by my own feelin's how difficult 'tis to believe a 
 tiling a man don't understand. But it seems to 
 me, 'to return to the practical'- as I've heard 
 the poor old skipper say — that we might as 
 well haul up on our course agin now ; and I'll 
 go and look after the dinner ; for I shall be 
 afraid to go to sleep agin for the next fort- 
 night ; that blamed old sarpent '11 ha'nt me 
 like a nightmare now, if I so much as shut my 
 eyes for five minutes." 
 
 The sheets were flattened in, and the little 
 craft's jaunt\- bowsprit once more pointed south- 
 ward ; whilst Bob dived below, and in a few 
 minutes more a thin wreath of smoke issuing 
 from the galley-funnel betrayed his whereabouts, 
 and his occupation.
 
 The Sea- Serpent. 155 
 
 Suddenly he reappeared at the companion, 
 and with a serious countenance remarked : 
 
 " I say, Harry, lad, I s'pose there's no chance 
 of that devil" — with a jerk of the thumb in the 
 direction of our weather quarter — " getting a 
 sniff of our dinner, and making sail in chase, is 
 there ?" 
 
 I assured him that, in my belief, there was a 
 strong probability that the serpent was, at that 
 moment, perhaps miles deep in the ocean, 
 banqueting royally on the dead whale ; and, 
 seeing the reasonableness of this supposition, 
 he retired, satisfied. 
 
 Nothing further occurred that day to disturb 
 us. We continued to bowl away to the south- 
 ward ; and as we kept our canvas a good rap 
 full, the little barkie tripped along a good honest 
 nine knots every hour. The weather was as 
 fine as we could possibly wish, with every ap- 
 pearance of being thoroughly settled ; and there 
 seemed to be a good promise of our making an 
 exceptionally rapid passage. 
 
 It was my eight hours out that night; and 
 when Bob relieved me at midnight the sky was
 
 156 The Secret of tin Sands. 
 
 as clear as a bell ; and, though there was no 
 moon, the stars were shining brilliantly, and 
 with that mellow lustre so peculiar to the 
 tropics. 
 
 Bob declared he was Had to be on deck again, 
 for he had been tormented, all his watch below, 
 by " that villanous sarpent ;" visions of which 
 so disturbed his restless slumbers that it was 
 a real comfort to have the craft to look after, and 
 something to occupy his mind. 
 
 I anticipated no such disturbing- influence 
 myself; for though I candidly confess I was 
 awfully frightened at the moment, the effect had 
 passed away almost with the disappearance of 
 the monster ; and the cool freshness of the night 
 breeze had induced a feeling of drowsiness, 
 particularly welcome to a man about to retire to 
 his hammock. 
 
 In less than five minutes I was fast asleep. 
 When I awoke, which I did without being called, 
 I was surprised to find the sun streaming down 
 through the skylight; and still more so when 
 I observed that we seemed to have gone about 
 during the night. The Water Lily was now
 
 The Sea-Serpent. 157 
 
 certainly on the starboard tack ; whereas, when I 
 turned in, we were on the port tack. 
 
 "It can't be a change of wind, here in the 
 heart of the trades," thought I. " What can 
 Bob be about ? and why has he allowed me to 
 overrun my watch. Surely the old fellow was 
 not afraid to come below, and turn in ? Hallo ! 
 Bob ahoy! what's wrong on deck?" shouted I, 
 springing out of my hammock. 
 
 Just as I did so, I heard the mainsail fluttering, 
 as though the boat had luffed into the wind ; and 
 at the same moment I caught sight, through the 
 companion-way, of the vacant tiller swinging 
 about. 
 
 " Gone forward to shift the jib," thought I ; 
 and I jumped on deck to lend a hand. 
 
 Bod was noiuhere to be seen. 
 
 " Good heavens !" exclaimed I, " what dreadful 
 thing has happened ?" 
 
 I thought of the sea-serpent for one moment, 
 but dismissed the idea the next, as being both 
 too horrible and too unlikely. 
 
 The creature could hardly have approached 
 without giving Bob the alarm, which I
 
 [58 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 knew he would have instantly communicated to 
 me. 
 
 At that moment my eyes fell upon the main- 
 boom, and I missed the life-buoy which we kept 
 suspended from it in readiness for any sudden 
 emergency. Bob then had gone overboard, 
 taking the life-buoy with him, and that too upon 
 an impulse so sudden that there had been no 
 time or opportunity to arouse me. 
 
 The Lily was indeed hove-to, as I had 
 observed when I first awoke ; but it was with 
 both jib and fore-sheet to windward. The 
 probability was then that, on Bob quitting the 
 helm, she had flown up into the wind until her 
 head sails were taken aback, when she would, of 
 course, or most probably, pay off on the opposite 
 tack, and remain hove-to. This must necessarily 
 have happened at least four hours ago (it was 
 now eight o'clock), because had Bob been on 
 deck at eight bells, he would, of course, have 
 called me. And during all this time the boat 
 had been sailing away from him, not very rapidly 
 it is true, being hove-to, but probably at a rate of 
 at least three knots an hour. What might not
 
 The Sea- Serpent. 159 
 
 have happened to the poor fellow in that time ? 
 He was a splendid swimmer, I knew, having 
 acquired the art on our last voyage, and well 
 able to take care of himself in the water ; and 
 there was very little sea on. Besides, I felt 
 pretty certain he had the life-buoy ; and, with 
 its assistance, I knew he could keep himself 
 afloat in such weather until worn out with ex- 
 haustion from want of food. But there were 
 other perils than that of drowning ; and, if 
 attacked by a shark, what chance had he ? 
 
 These thoughts flashed through my mind 
 whilst busily employed in taking the necessary 
 steps to return in search of him, for I had no idea 
 of continuing the voyage without making such a 
 search, indeed it would have been impossible. 
 And my chances of success were not so meagre 
 as might at first sight be supposed. 
 
 In the first place, knowing how difficult it 
 would be to see such an object as a life-buoy, 
 even w ith a man in it, at any great distance, from 
 so low an elevation as our deck, I had taken 
 the precaution to have each buoy fitted with a 
 contrivance for hoisting a signal.
 
 160 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 This consisted of a small bundle of jointed 
 rods, which could be put together like a fishing- 
 rod, and on the topmost of these was a white 
 flag two feet square. On the buoy itself was 
 firmly lashed a step similar to the "bucket" (I 
 believe it is called) in which a carriage-whip is 
 placed when not in use by the driver. The rods, 
 taken to pieces, were securely lashed in a com- 
 pact bundle to the buoy, and the bucket was a 
 fixture. Thus, if Bob had the life-buoy, he also 
 had the means of indicating his whereabouts, and 
 that, too, at a considerable distance. And I 
 knew pretty nearly in what direction I ought to 
 steer, in order to take the most effectual means 
 of finding him. 
 
 Whilst hove-to, the Lilys course or drift was, 
 on the whole, as nearly as possible at right 
 angles to the direction of the wind. It only re- 
 mained then to turn her round and keep the 
 wind directly abeam, and I should be going back 
 pretty nearly over the same ground I had been 
 traversing since Bob w r ent overboard. 
 
 Accordingly, I lost no time in getting the Lily 
 round, when I once more hove her to, and went
 
 The Sca-Scrpcnt. 1 6 r 
 
 aloft to the cross-trees with my glass to see if the 
 white flag were visible. 
 
 A long and anxious scrutiny followed, but with- 
 out any discovery. I did not feel any very great 
 disappointment at this, for I thought it very pro- 
 bable I was too far away to discover so small an 
 object, even with the aid of my glass. 
 
 Once satisfied that it was nowhere to be seen, 
 I quickly descended to the deck, trimmed the 
 sheets flowing, and away the little craft bounded 
 over the bright flashing sea. 
 
 I stood on for an hour exactly, when I once 
 more hauled the fore-sheet to windward, and 
 went aloft with my glass again. 
 
 My first look was ahead, first with the naked 
 eye, and then with the glass ; but not a speck 
 could I discern to break the monotony of the 
 blue-grey of the sea, except an occasional curling 
 foam-crest. I next carefully swept the ocean 
 from forward round to windward, thinking - I 
 might have run too far off the wind. 
 
 Once or twice I thought I detected a flickering- 
 of something white, but it instantly disappeared 
 again ; and I was obliged to believe it was only 
 
 VOL. I. II
 
 1 62 The Secret of I he Sands. 
 
 the foam of a breaking wave. I was about to 
 descend once more to the deck, when it occurred 
 to me to take a glance to leeward. I once more 
 levelled my glass, and swept it over the surface 
 of the sea ; but aofain I could see nothing. I 
 reluctantly closed it, slung it over my shoulder, 
 and swung myself off the cross-trees to go down 
 by the mast-hoops, when my eye was arrested 
 for a moment by what I knew at once to be 
 the flacf. 
 
 Almost as I caught siMit of it, I lost it acrain ; 
 and as the craft was constantly falling off or 
 coming up again into the wind, I hardly knew 
 exactly in what point to look for it. How- 
 ever, I regained by position upon the cross-trees, 
 levelling my glass, rather inconveniently, on the 
 fore side of the topmast, to clear the topsail, 
 and presently I caught it again. 
 
 Yes, there it was, sure enough, about three 
 miles dead to leeward ; and what was more, I 
 could not only see the flag, but also the buoy, and 
 Bob in it. He seemed to be waving his arms 
 about in a most frantic manner, and making a 
 tremendous splashing, doubtless, I thought, with
 
 The Sea-Serpent. 163 
 
 the view of making his position more apparent, 
 as, of course, he could see the cutter, and knew I 
 must be looking for him. 
 
 I slipped down on deck, quick as lightning, 
 triced up the main tack just high enough to 
 enable me to see under the foot of the sail ; and 
 squared dead away before the wind. 
 
 Ten minutes afterwards I caught a glimpse of 
 the flag right ahead, as the boat rose on a sea ; 
 and then I edged away, taking room to run up 
 alongside him on the port tack with my head- 
 sheets to windward. I could now see Bob away 
 on the port bow, every time the Lily rose on the 
 top of a wave ; and he was still, to my great 
 surprise, splashing away furiously ; and now I 
 caught the sound of his voice, shouting. 
 
 " Surely," thought I, " the poor fellow has not 
 become insane through the dreadful strain to 
 which his nerves have been subjected !" 
 
 A minute later the cause of his strange be- 
 haviour became apparent. 
 
 A dark object of triangular shape appeared, 
 moving in narrow circles round the spot where 
 poor Bob was floating ; disappearing at frequent 
 
 11 — 2
 
 1 64 The Secret of the Siuids. 
 
 intervals, and then the splashing became more 
 frantically vigorous than ever. It was a shark 
 that was thus blockading Bob, and the splashing 
 was resorted to to frighten the creature from 
 attack i no- him. 
 
 I carefully measured my distance, and ex- 
 actly at the right moment jammed my helm 
 hard down, hauling in the main sheet as I 
 did so. 
 
 The Lily shot into the wind, just clearing the 
 buoy by a hair's-breadth. I sprang to the 
 rigging, stooped down, and seized Bob's extended 
 hand with mine as he came alongside, and then, 
 exerting all the strength I could command, 1 
 fairly jerked him out of the water upon deck, 
 just as the shark had apparently made up his 
 mind to be no longer denied. 
 
 With such impetuosity did he make his rush 
 that his snout rose a good two feet fairly above 
 our gunwale; and had not the impetus with which 
 I jerked Bob out of the water been sufficient to 
 fetch him clear inboard, the shark would have had 
 him after all. As it was, we got a glance into his 
 open jaws, and at his six rows of teeth, the
 
 The Sea- Serpent. 165 
 
 remembrance of which makes me shudder to this 
 day. 
 
 As the shark disappeared with a savage whisk 
 of the tail, poor Bob turned to me ; his lips 
 quivered convulsively for a moment in an effort 
 to speak, and then he fell to the deck in a dead 
 faint. 
 
 Two or three buckets of water dashed in his 
 face, and a glass of neat brandy, however, soon 
 restored him, and it was almost pitiful to listen to 
 the poor fellow's heartfelt and reiterated expres- 
 sions of gratitude for his rescue. 
 
 " Ever since about half an hour after sunrise was 
 that incarnate devil alongside of me," exclaimed 
 he ; " and hadn't it been for my seeing the cutter's 
 sails, and knowin' as you was on the look-out for 
 me, I must have give in. Human natur' couldn't 
 hold out agin that sort of thing for long. And 
 now, I feel that weak and done up, that a child 
 might pitch me overboard agin, if he was so 
 minded, I do believe." 
 
 The life-buoy came aboard again with Bob ; so 
 I unshipped the signal-staff and took it to pieces > 
 made it up in a bundle once more, stopped it to
 
 1 66 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 the buoy, and slung the buoy itself in its old 
 position on the boom. 
 
 The cutter was still hove-to, and I allowed her 
 to remain so, whilst I went forward to see to 
 the breakfast, Bob meanwhile changing his wet 
 clothes for dry ones, and hanging the former in 
 the rigging to dry. 
 
 I was still busy over the cookery, when Bob 
 came into the forecastle, and observed : 
 
 " I say, Harry, there's that spiteful devil still 
 alongside, and with a most onchristian longing to 
 make a breakfast off of your old shipmate, I'll go 
 bail ! Couldn't we contrive somehow to put a 
 stopper on his tormentin' purpensities ?" 
 
 " Aye, aye, Bob, old man !" replied I ; " I think 
 we may manage to do that without much dif- 
 ficulty. You get one of the air-guns out of the 
 beckets, whilst I look after this coffee — it's just 
 on the boil — and we'll try the virtues of cold lead 
 upon his constitution, and the powers of the gun 
 at the same time." 
 
 As soon as I could leave the coffee, I got a 
 piece of pork out of our small harness cask, and 
 lashed it to a piece of line, whilst Bob, under my
 
 The Sea-Serpent. 167 
 
 directions, charged the gun. This done, the 
 pork was hung just outside the taffrail, and full 
 in the shark's view, but not in the water ; and I 
 lay down on deck with the gun ready for my 
 gentleman, should he make a rush. 
 
 This, however, he seemed indisposed to do ; 
 eyeing the bait longingly, but keeping at a 
 respectful distance. Gradually this distance 
 shortened, however, and he finally ventured close 
 under the boat's stern, and within about three feet 
 of the pork. 
 
 I kept the gun levelled at him, aiming at his 
 eye ; and now, having him so close, and so 
 directly under me, I thought there was little fear 
 of the bullet being diverted from its proper 
 direction by the water, so I fired. 
 
 The lead sped true ; the blood spirted from the 
 creature's eye, and with a tremendous spring he 
 threw himself backward, only to roll over on his 
 back with a convulsive writhe or two ere he 
 floated motionless and dead. 
 
 " So much for bullyin' honest seamen when 
 they has the misfortin' to walk overboard," 
 observed Bob, eyeing the carcase with much
 
 1 68 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 complacency. " I shall feci more comfortable 
 like, now I knows as your cruise is over for good 
 and all." 
 
 " Walk overboard, Bob !" exclaimed I. " You 
 surely do not mean to say you walked over- 
 board ?" 
 
 " 'Twas little else, my lad. But I'll tell ye all 
 about it whilst we're Qettino; our breakfast stowed 
 under hatches ; for I'll be bound you're longing 
 to hear the rights of the story." 
 
 " That indeed I am, old fellow ; so come along 
 below, and let us get the yarn and our breakfasts 
 at once ; I am longing for both." 
 
 Having taken a look all round, to see that 
 nothing was in sight, we went below and seated 
 ourselves at the cabin-table, and Bob forthwith 
 proceeded with his story.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 bob's dream. 
 
 '* You'll maybe remember/' commenced Bob, 
 " that when I came upon deck last night to take 
 my watch, I mentioned that I was glad enough 
 to be out of my hammock, and away from the 
 
 tormentin' dreams I'd had of that sarpent ! 
 
 "Well, and I was too — I felt better and 
 calmer like the minute I set foot upon the deck ; 
 and, as soon as you was gone below, I makes 
 myself comfortable in the chair " (a low deck-chair 
 in which we used frequently to sit whilst steering), 
 " takes the tiller-rope in my hand, sets the little 
 craft's course by a star, and starts thinking how 
 pleased the skipper will be when he sees his son 
 and his old mate turning up some fine morning
 
 170 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 at the anchorage which, I doubt not, lies just 
 under his parlour window. 
 
 " I got thinking and thinking, until it seemed 
 to me as I could see the ' old man ' as plain as I 
 can see you now, coming- down between the trees, 
 with his hand held out, and his face all smiling 
 and joyful like, and I steps forward to give him 
 a hearty shake of the fin, when all of a suddent 
 he changes into that infarnal old sarpent, and at 
 me he comes, with his eyes glaring, and his jaws 
 wide open. 
 
 " You may take your oath, Harry, I warn't 
 long in stays. Round I comes like a top, and 
 away I scuds dead afore the wind ; and he — the 
 sarpent, I mean — arter me. It seemed to me as 
 the faster I tried to run, the less headway I made ; 
 and presently he was close aboard of me. 
 
 " There was a great rock just ahead of me ; 
 and I makes a tremenjous jump to get behind it, 
 when whack goes my head agin the main boom 
 with that force it fairly stunned me, and afore I 
 could recover myself I lost my balance, and over- 
 board I uoes. 
 
 " I felt myself going, and flung out my hands
 
 Bob's Dreai?t. 171 
 
 to save myself naterally, and by that means I 
 managed to get hold of the becket of the life- 
 buoy, which in course broke adrift from the boom, 
 and came overboard with me. 
 
 " Well, I didn't seem to know where I was or 
 what I was doin' for a minute or two ; and then the 
 cold water revived me. I slips my arm through 
 the buoy, and takes a look round for the cutter. 
 
 " I must have run her pretty nigh dead off the 
 wind in my sleep, for I could see her almost 
 straight to leeward of me, still standin' on, but 
 comin' slowly to the wind. 
 
 " She was a good quarter of a mile away from 
 me, and I thinks as how I might still have a 
 chance of fetching her agin, if she gets to luffing 
 into the wind, and losing her way, so I strikes 
 out a'ter her. 
 
 " But, Lord bless ye ! Harry, you've no idea 
 how the little hussy slips along, until you comes 
 to be overboard, swimming in her wake. 
 
 ' It seemed to me as though she'd never come 
 to, and all the while she was walking away to the 
 tune of a good seven knots. 
 
 " At last when I rose on the top of a sea, I sees
 
 I/- The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 as she was in stays; and 'All right,' thinks I, 
 1 Harry's come on deck and missed me, and he's 
 comin' back a'ter me. But I soon saw as she'd 
 run into the wind, and hove herself to, and that 
 most likely you was still fast asleep in your 
 hammock. 
 
 " I next tried to cut her off by swimming in the 
 direction that she was heading, but after about 
 half an hour's hard tusslin' I knowed it was no 
 use ; she fore-reached upon me as if I was at 
 anchor. So I give the job up, and lay-to in the 
 buoy for a rest, for I'd put out all my strength in 
 chase, and was pretty nigh done up. 
 
 " I knowed you'd miss me some time in the 
 morning, and that you'd miss the buoy too, and 
 I felt sartain that you'd come back to look me up, 
 so I sets to work to get my signal-pole on end 
 and the Hag flyin', all ready for daylight. 
 
 '' I watched the little barkie fairly out of sight, 
 and then I began to feel lonesome like, and I'll 
 own that most oncomfortable thoughts came into 
 my head about the sea-sarpent ; but, strange as 
 you ma)- think it, I never give a thought to the 
 sharks.
 
 Bob's Dream. 173 
 
 " I thought as day were never going to break 
 agin ; but at last I sees it light up a bit away to 
 the east'ard, and it got grad'ally brighter and 
 brighter ; and presently I sees the sun just showin' 
 above the horizon. 
 
 " Then I felt a little bit more cheerful and satis- 
 fied like, for I knowed you'd soon be stirring, and I 
 should have you back on the look-out for me. 
 
 " Of course I gave a good look all round as 
 soon as there was light enough to see properly ; 
 but there warn't so much as a gull in sight, and 
 away to the nor'ard and east'ard where I knowed 
 you was, the sun dazzled my eyes so's I couldn't 
 
 see. 
 
 "Well, 'twas just as I'd caught a glimpse, as I 
 thought, of the peak of the Lilys gaff-topsail, 
 that I sees, about fifty fathom away, the fin of that 
 
 shark scullin' quietly along. I kept pretty 
 
 still, you may swear, hoping he'd pass me. But — 
 not he. Down goes his helm, and he takes a 
 sheer my way, and I thought it was all up with 
 me. 
 
 " He ranged up alongside as quiet as you 
 please, hows'ever, and just dodged round and
 
 174 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 round me, off and on, as if lie didn't quite know 
 what I was made of. 
 
 " I expect it was the flutterin' of the flag over- 
 head as he didn't understand ; but, any way, he 
 kept very quiet and peaceable for a good long 
 spell, and I was beginnin' to hope he wouldn't 
 have no truck with me. And, to cheer me up 
 still more, I sees the little Lily coming back to 
 look for her chief mate. 
 
 "If you'll believe me, Harry, I'm of opinion 
 that devil saw you comin' as well as myself, and 
 that he knowed he'd have to make up his mind 
 pretty soon, or lose me altogether, for he began 
 to swim round me now tolerable smart, and 
 presently he makes a dive. 
 
 " I'd made up my mind what to do as soon as 
 he took to that game ; and I starts splashing 
 hands and legs all I knowed, and shouting too, 
 like fury ; and presently he comes up again. 
 
 "Well, the chap kept me that bus)-, I hadn't a 
 minute to spare ; and when you ranged up along- 
 side I was that tired out I didn't know how to 
 make another splash." 
 
 " So much for going to sleep in your watch on
 
 Bob's Dream. 175 
 
 deck, Master Bob," said I, as the mate brought 
 his yarn to a conclusion. 
 
 " Aye ! more shame to me that I should ever 
 have done such a thing," replied he, greatly crest- 
 fallen ; " but I lay the blame of the whole consarn, 
 
 from beginnin' to end, on that sarpent, 
 
 though no amount of sarpents will excuse a man 
 fallin' asleep in his watch, more especially when 
 he has charge of the deck." 
 
 "Well," said I, "you have been pretty well 
 punished for your fault, old man, at all 
 events. But ' all's well that ends well ;' and I 
 am heartily glad that you are so well out of the 
 scrape. And now, I shall insist on your going to 
 your hammock for the rest of the day, and I'll 
 take care of the craft. In fact she will almost 
 steer herself in this weather, so I shall manage 
 very well indeed. Only don't have any more 
 dreams which will cause you to jump overboard, 
 please, for I really cannot afford to lose you." 
 
 The poor old fellow was so exhausted that, 
 though he protested against the proposed ar- 
 rangement, I could see he was glad enough to 
 avail himself of it ; and after a feeble attempt at
 
 I 76 The Secret of the Sa)ids. 
 
 remonstrance, he yielded to my persuasions, and 
 turned in, and was quickly in a sound refreshing 
 sleep. 
 
 Nothing further of importance occurred for 
 several days to break the monotony of the 
 voyage. 
 
 We continued to make good way to the south- 
 ward, and ten days after crossing the line we lost 
 the south-east trade winds, and ran into a light 
 southerly breeze. As we still had a very fair 
 quantity of water onboard, and indulged in good 
 hopes of getting rain enough, shortly, to fill 
 our tank up, without the necessity of putting in 
 anywhere, and as the chances were very great 
 that, as we got farther to the southward, we 
 should meet with westerly winds, I determined to 
 stand to the southward and westward, close hauled, 
 of course, on the port tack, so that should the 
 wind come from the westward, as we expected, 
 we should be in a good weatherly position ; 
 whilst, if we were disappointed in the matter of 
 rain, we should have the land close aboard, and 
 could run in and fill up. 
 
 The southerly wind lasted us a couple of days,
 
 Bob's Dream. 177 
 
 and then veered gradually round to about south- 
 west. As this broke us off considerably from our 
 course, we hove the cutter about, and were then 
 able to lie about south-and-by-east, a good rap 
 full. 
 
 The wind now freshened considerably, and we 
 had it stronger than at an)' time since leaving 
 England, except in the gale in the Bay of Biscay, 
 so that we were reduced to double-reefed main- 
 sail, reefed foresail, and number three jib. 
 Under this canvas the little Lily made very 
 excellent weather of it, though the incessant 
 showers of spray which she threw over herself 
 necessitated the constant use of our macintoshes 
 whilst on deck, and this we found extremely in- 
 convenient, from their warmth. 
 
 However, as we had been wonderfully favoured 
 in the matter of weather so far, we had no right 
 to grumble if we were now treated to a few of the 
 inconveniences of such a voyage as ours. Though 
 still making very good way, we were not getting 
 on so fast as we had been, our low canvas, and 
 the heavy sea (for a craft of our size) which 
 
 vol. 1. 12
 
 178 The £ of the Sands. 
 
 began to get up, not permitting us to do more 
 than our seven knots. 
 
 Still, this was remarkably good work, and we 
 ought to have been perfectly satisfied ; but the 
 little barkie had stepped out at such a rattling 
 pace all the earlier part of the voyage that we 
 could not be contented with any reduction in 
 speed. 
 
 This lasted for five days, and then, about one 
 p.m., the wind suddenly dropped altogether, and 
 left us tumbling helplessly about without even 
 steerage-way. The sky had gradually become 
 overcast, and the air suffocatingly close, and when 
 I went below to look at the aneroid, I found it 
 had gone back considerably. 
 
 This might mean only a thunderstorm, or it 
 might mean something much worse, so we set to 
 work to prepare for whatever might come. The 
 mainsail was stowed and the cover put on, the 
 foresail hauled down and unbent, and the trysail 
 bent, reefedj and stowed, to be set or not as 
 circumstances might require 
 
 As it turned out it was only a thunderstorm, 
 but it was a regular tropical one whilst it lasted.
 
 Bob's Dream. 179 
 
 The rain came down in sheets, without a breath 
 of wind ; and we not only filled our tank, but also 
 every available cask, can, and empty bottle we 
 had on board, and as this was done lone before 
 the rain was over (though the thunderstorm soon 
 passed off), Bob and I stripped, and enjoyed to 
 our heart's content the unwonted luxury of a wash 
 from head to foot in the most deliciously soft 
 water, after which we roused out our dirty clothes, 
 and had a regular good washing-day. 
 
 The rain lasted about three hours, and then 
 cleared away as rapidly as it had come on, leaving 
 the air beautifully fresh and pure, the sea beaten 
 down until nothing but a long, lazy swell re- 
 mained of the late breeze, and ourselves refreshed 
 beyond description by our soap and water bath. 
 The sun came out again, clear and strong, drying 
 our washing in about half an hour, and to complete 
 the good work, a nice, steady wind from the 
 north-east sprang up, and sent us bowling merrily 
 along upon our course once more, with all our 
 flying kites aloft to woo the welcome breeze, the 
 glass beginning to rise again immediately that the 
 thunderstorm was over. 
 
 12 — 2
 
 i So The Secret of tJie Sands. 
 
 Two nierhts after this, the wind still holding; 
 
 favourable, though rather fresher, so that our 
 spars had as much as they could do, not- 
 withstanding our preventer backstays, to bear the 
 strain of our enormous spinnaker and balloon gaff- 
 topsail, and the little Water Lily flying along at 
 — as our patent log told us — over thirteen knots, 
 we dashed past a half-consumed hencoop, a few 
 charred pieces of planking, and some half-burnt 
 spars, all of which had the appearance of having 
 been but a short time in the water. 
 
 The spars were those of a ship of about a 
 thousand tons ; and we came to the conclusion 
 that it was one of those melancholy cases in which 
 the good ship, after perhaps successfully battling 
 with a hundred storms, is made to succumb at 
 last to that terrible foe to seamen, a fire, ignited 
 by the merest and apparently most trivial of 
 accidents. But the reader will see, further on, 
 that we had but too good reason to alter this 
 opinion. 
 
 We passed this wreckage about the. middle of 
 the second dog-watch, while Bob and I were 
 discussing the propriety of shortening sail some-
 
 Bob's Dream. 181 
 
 what for the night; but as the breeze seemed 
 disposed to grow lighter rather than otherwise, 
 we decided to let everything stand for the 
 present. 
 
 When Bob called me at midnight, however, the 
 wind had hauled so far round from the eastward 
 that it became necessary to shift the spinnaker 
 to the bowsprit-end ; and this we accordingly 
 did. 
 
 The wind had fallen much lighter while I was 
 below, it continued to drop all my watch, and 
 when I turned out next morning there was barely 
 enough of it to fan us alon^ at about three 
 knots. 
 
 As the sun rose higher it died away altogether, 
 and it was as much as we could do, through 
 the day, to keep the cutter's head in the right 
 direction. This would have been wearisome work 
 in the tropics ; but we had been out of them for 
 some days, and were getting well to the south- 
 ward, and the air began to feel quite fresh and 
 chilly at night ; so much so, indeed, that for the 
 last nio-ht or two Bob and I had found our thick 
 pilot jackets a very great comfort.
 
 [82 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 At last, by the time that tea was ready, the 
 Lily was "boxing the compass," having lost 
 steerage-way altogether; so, as our big sails were 
 
 no use, we took them in, and stowed them away, 
 not knowing from whence or how strong the 
 breeze might next come. 
 
 We took a good look all round at the weather, 
 and then left the Lily to take care of herself, 
 whilst we went below to our evening meal. This 
 over, we both went on deck again to smoke our 
 pipes, and have a chat until eight bells. It may 
 be thought that two men situated as we were 
 would soon exhaust all available topics of con- 
 versation ; but this was by no means the case. 
 
 Bob, though he had no education but that 
 pertaining to his profession, was a profound 
 thinker, and he often amused and sometimes 
 startled me by the original it) - of his remarks. 
 
 He had knocked about the world a good deal, 
 and had the knack of not only a quick observation, 
 but also of being able to clearly and accurately 
 recall what he had seen, and the impressions 
 thereby produced upon himself. 
 
 He was expatiating, on this occasion, on the
 
 Bob's Dream. 183 
 
 o 
 
 charms of nature, of which he was an enthusiastic 
 admirer, the subject having been suggested by 
 the beauty of the sunset which we had both been 
 watching, and I was thoroughly enjoying the 
 rugged eloquence with which the scene had 
 inspired him, when we were startled by a long, 
 low, wailing cry which rang out upon the still 
 air, apparently not half a dozen fathoms from us, 
 making our blood curdle and our hair stiffen with 
 horror at its unearthly and thrilling cadence. 
 
 We looked earnestly and eagerly in the direc- 
 tion from which the cry had seemed to proceed, 
 but nothing was visible in that or, indeed, in any 
 other direction. 
 
 The sun had set, and the grey of evening was 
 deepening over the glassy surface of the water ; 
 but there was still light enough reflected from the 
 sky to have enabled us to see any object within 
 sight almost as distinctly as in broad day, but not an 
 object of any description could we see, not even a 
 solitary albatross. 
 
 We had carefully scanned, as far as was 
 possible, the entire visible surface of the ocean ? 
 and had turned inquiringly towards each other,
 
 iX[ The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 when once more ran-' out that mysterious cry, 
 this time apparently close under our stern. 
 
 We turned, unutterably horror-stricken, in that 
 direction, but there was nothing. Seamen are, as 
 a rule, as brave as lions ; but anything mysterious 
 and unaccountable completely cowes them, and 
 such, I confess, was now the case with us. 
 
 The cry was too sharp and loud to have pro- 
 ceeded from any distance; and there was no 
 visible explanation of it. It was not repeated a 
 third time, I am happy to say ; and I wish never 
 to hear anything' like it again. What it was, or 
 whence it came, we never knew, and I was, and 
 am to this day, utterly unable to account for it. 
 
 I have since been informed that such sounds 
 have occasionally been heard at sea .by others as 
 well as ourselves, but never with the result of 
 any discovery as to their origin. 
 
 During the next three days we had nothing but 
 light variable winds, and calms. 
 
 On the morning of the fourth day. at daybreak, 
 we made a sail directly ahead. At this time we 
 had a nice; little breeze, and were going about six 
 knots.
 
 Bob's Dream. 185 
 
 As we neareel her, we noticed that she was 
 hove-to, her courses brailed up, and her topgallant 
 yards on the caps. When close to her, it struck 
 us that something must be the matter on board, 
 for not a soul could we see about her decks. The 
 vessel herself too — a full-rigged ship of about four- 
 teen hundred tons — -struck us as being unusually 
 deep in the water. There being no sea on, we 
 decided to run alongside and board her, thinking 
 she might possibly prove derelict. We did so, 
 accordingly, rounding to under her stern, and 
 ranging up alongside on her lee quarter ; having 
 first, however, taken in our gaff-topsail and lowered 
 our topmast, so as not to foul her rigging. 
 
 As we came gently alongside, an exclamation 
 escaped Bob, who w r as standing forward, ready to 
 heave a line on board or jump up the side with it, 
 according to circumstances. 
 
 " Here's been some cursed foul play here, by 
 the look of it, Harry," exclaimed he; "mutiny and 
 murder, I should judge, by this," pointing to the 
 scuppers of the ship, from which blood had evi- 
 dently been flowing, large semi-coagulated gouts 
 still adhering to the sides of the vessel, and about
 
 1 86 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 the mouths of the scupper-hole-. The vessel 
 being, as I have said, very low in the water, we 
 had no difficult)- whatever in boarding her; both 
 springing up the side at the same moment, each 
 with the end of a line in our hands. 
 
 Good heavens! what a sight met our horrified 
 gaze as we leaped down upon the ship's deck ! 
 
 Some three or four and twenty corpses lay 
 there, with the blood still slowly oozing in a few 
 instances from wounds in various parts of their 
 bodies. 
 
 The wounds were mostly inflicted by cutlass 
 and pistol-shots; but two of the bodies, apparently 
 those of officers, had the heads almost severed 
 from the trunks, the gashes having been evidently 
 inflicted by a keener weapon than a ship's cut- 
 lass. These bodies had the arms lashed tightly 
 behind the back. 
 
 Too horror-stricken to speak a word, I walked 
 aft, Bob following me, and entered the cabin, 
 which was on deck, and from which I thought I 
 heard a groan issuing. On entering, the first 
 object I saw was the body of a young man, about 
 four and twenty years of age, lying close across
 
 Bob's Dream. 187 
 
 the doorway, and covered with wounds. His left 
 arm was almost completely cut through ; a long 
 gash had laid his forehead open from above the 
 right temple to the left eyebrow ; a pistol-bullet 
 had entered his forehead nearly fair between the 
 eyes ; and blood had evidently flowed copiously 
 from his right breast. This body lay across 
 three others, dressed in the usual attire of sea- 
 men. 
 
 On a sofa, which stretched entirely across the 
 after-part of the cabin, lay the body of a young 
 and most beautiful girl, her night-dress torn to 
 shreds, and her fair skin disfigured by deep blue 
 marks, and smeared with blood, indicating but too 
 clearly that she had been the victim of most 
 atrocious outrages. 
 
 And lastly, under the cabin table, lay another 
 body, from which, whilst we stood gazing in 
 speechless horror at these evidences of diabolical 
 atrocity, a faint groan issued. 
 
 Bob assisted me to draw the sufferer from 
 under the table ; and we then saw that he was an 
 old man, grey-haired, and dressed in fine blue 
 cloth garnished with gilt buttons, and a stripe of
 
 [88 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 gold lace round the cuffs of the jacket ; no doubt 
 the master of the vessel. 
 
 Bob drew the corpse of the young - girl some- 
 what aside, spreading the table-cover over the 
 body reverently, to hide the naked limbs; and 
 then, between us, we placed the wounded man on 
 the sofa 
 
 The cabin had, notwithstanding the ghastly 
 appearance it presented, been the scene of a wild 
 carouse, for the table was covered with glasses 
 and wine and spirit bottles, and broken bottles 
 and glasses littered the floor. I searched amomr 
 the contents of the table until I found a bottle 
 only partly empty, and from this I poured out a 
 glass of its contents, which proved to be port, and 
 managed with considerable clifficultv to get a 
 small quantity of the wine down the wounded 
 man's throat. The skylight was open, and the; 
 air cominLT down through it in a cool gentle 
 breeze, assisted the wine in restoring him to con- 
 sciousness. He opened his eyes, and gazed round 
 him vacantly for a moment or so, and then 
 memory returned, and he burst violently into 
 tears. We soothed him as well as we could,
 
 Bob's Dream. 1S9 
 
 assuring him that we were friends, and that we 
 would not leave him ; and in a minute or two he 
 recovered strength and composure enough to 
 speak. 
 
 " Thank you, gentlemen, thank you," said he, 
 " but my time here is very short, and your well- 
 meant efforts for my relief are not only useless, 
 but they also increase my suffering. You are, I 
 presume, from some ship which has come up with 
 us since those fiends left. Kindly prop me up 
 a little higher on the sofa, gentlemen, if you 
 please, and I will endeavour to tell you what has 
 happened before I pass away." 
 
 We did so ; and as we were making his position 
 as easy as we could for him, his eye fell upon the 
 body of the young girl, and once more his tears 
 burst forth, mingled with prayers for her, and the 
 most bitter curses upon her destroyers. 
 
 He raised one hand to his face as though to 
 brush his tears away, and we then noticed for the 
 first time — horror upon horror ! — that his fingers 
 had all been cut, or rather hacked out, at the 
 knuckle-joints, the wounds still slowly bleed- 
 ing.
 
 190 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 H' . our looks of compassion, and said, as if 
 
 in reply : 
 
 " Ah, gentlemen, willingly would I have sub- 
 mitted to be torn limb from limb by the demons, 
 had they but spared my poor Rose — my darling, 
 my only daughter." 
 
 After another short pause, he began : 
 
 "It was about midnight, last night, that we 
 noticed a sail ahead of us, which was duly re- 
 ported. There was not very much wind at the 
 time, and she did not near us until about six bells. 
 As she closed with us, her movements became so 
 suspicious that I ordered the arm-chest on deck, 
 called all hands, and served out the: pistols and 
 cutlasses to them. 
 
 " Our suspicions weie very shortly confirmed, 
 for when she was within a cable's length of us she 
 sheered suddenly alongside, and about fifty men 
 leaped from her on to our deck. Our poor fellows 
 gave them a warm reception; but they were all 
 quickly cut down, and in about three minutes the 
 pirates had the ship. They immediately began to 
 plunder her, and a band of the most ruffianly of 
 them, headed by their captain, made for the
 
 BoUs Dream. 191 
 
 cabin. " Seeing that all was lost, my son — his 
 body lies at the door there — and I rushed in here, 
 to make a desperate stand in defence of my 
 daughter. 
 
 " The poor fellow killed three of them, whilst I 
 severely wounded others ; but he was shot down, 
 and I fell, exhausted with the wounds I had 
 already received. My poor girl was soon dis- 
 covered and dragged from her berth. 
 
 Or) 
 
 " The chief then questioned me as to our cargo, 
 where we were from, and so on ; and believing 
 that treasure was concealed somewhere in the 
 ship, he mutilated me thus," holding up his finger- 
 less hands, " to force me to reveal its hiding-place. 
 We had none, but he would not be convinced ; 
 and finding bodily torture of no avail to extract 
 from me the information it was not in my power 
 to give, the monster — oh, gentlemen ! my poor, 
 poor girl, my innocent, my gentle Rose — I cannot 
 say it. 
 
 " Thank God ! she soon died — of shame and a 
 broken heart, doubtless; for even //%/ seemed un- 
 willing to stain their weapons with her blood. 
 Would that they had; would that / had been able
 
 192 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 so to steel my heart as to have slain her, rather 
 than that I should have seen what I did ; for they 
 first bound me, and then placed me so that I could 
 see all. As soon as they found that she was 
 dead, they ransacked the cabin, turned out the 
 lockers, and drank and sang, until the mate, I 
 suppose, of the pirate came in and reported that 
 everything of value was transferred to the brig ; 
 when the leader — whom I once or twice heard 
 addressed as Johnson " — Bob and I started and 
 looked at each other expressively — " ordered the 
 ship to be scuttled, and for all hands but those 
 employed on the work to return to the brig. 
 They then left the cabin ; and, about half an hour 
 afterwards, I believe, they left the ship. She 
 cannot — float ver — very much — longer ; but I 
 
 shall — shall be — gone before " 
 
 His voice had been gradually growing weaker 
 and weaker as he approached the end of his 
 narrative, and now failed altogether. I tore 
 open the front of his shirt to ascertain if his heart 
 still beat, and now saw that he had received, 
 in addition to other wounds, a shot through the 
 chest.
 
 Boffs Dream. 193 
 
 There was no blood ; but he, no doubt, bled 
 internally. I could detect not the faintest flutter 
 of the heart, so we laid him gently down on the 
 sofa. As we did so, a small stream of blood 
 trickled out of his mouth, he sighed heavily, and 
 his jaw dropped. 
 
 Seeing that he was dead, we left the cabin, and 
 stepped out once more into the bright sunshine. 
 We noticed that, even during the short time we 
 had been on board, the vessel had settled consi- 
 derably in the water. 
 
 It was evidently quite time we were off; but 
 we first went all round the deck, examining care- 
 fully each body, to see if either exhibited the 
 least sign of life ; but all were utterly beyond the 
 reach of our help. We accordingly cast off, and 
 returned on board the Water Lily, making all the 
 sail we could, to get as speedily as possible away 
 from the scene of such diabolical atrocities. 
 
 We were about four miles distant from the 
 ship, when we observed her roll once or twice 
 slowly and heavily; her stern rose,*and, her bows 
 disappearing beneath the water, she gradually be- 
 came almost perpendicular, when she paused 
 
 vol. 1. 13
 
 194 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 for a moment and then sank gently out of 
 sight. 
 
 The moment that Johnson's name was men- 
 tioned, the same idea flashed into both our minds ; 
 that this was the same man, and probably the 
 same ship, of which we had so lately heard. The 
 captain spoke of the pirate vessel as a brig ; and 
 we felt no manner of doubt that she was the 
 Albatross. 
 
 So then these men, the men who had showed 
 such base treachery to my father, were still at 
 large, and in full prosecution of their villanous 
 designs. And not only so, but the)- were in the 
 same quarter of the globe as ourselves, and mani- 
 festly at no very great distance. 
 
 We felt no difficulty whatever now in attach- 
 ing a very different and much more sinister signifi- 
 cance to the charred fragments of wreck we had 
 lately passed. Our little craft would of course be 
 but a poor prize to these rascals ; but since they 
 seemed so to luxuriate in cruelty it behoved us to 
 give them as wide a berth as possible. 
 
 The presence of this craft, and that, too, in our 
 immediate vicinity, was a source of the greatest
 
 Bob's Dream. 195 
 
 anxiety to us ; so much so, that we took in our 
 gaff-topsail, and housed our topmast, to show but 
 a low spread of canvas; and one or other of us 
 remained posted at the mast-head all day, on the 
 look-out, so as, if possible, to sight her before being 
 seen ourselves, should it happen that we were 
 both proceeding in the same direction, or on such 
 courses as would bring us together. 
 
 We maintained this ceaseless watch for the pirate 
 brig for four days, when, judging from the experi- 
 ence we had already obtained of our sailing powers 
 in fine weather as compared with those of other 
 vessels that we had fallen in with, we came to the 
 conclusion that all immediate danger of a rencontre 
 with her was past ; and we accordingly relaxed 
 our vigilance, and allowed ourselves some rest, 
 which, by this time, we greatly needed. 
 
 About noon on the seventh day after boarding 
 the ship scuttled by the pirates (the name of which 
 I forgot to mention was the Massachusetts, of New 
 York), land appeared ahead. It was the Falk- 
 land group of barren and desolate islands in the 
 vicinity of Cape Horn. As we had been expect- 
 ing, the wind now drew round from the westward,
 
 ic6 The Sir ret of the Sands. 
 
 fresh, though not so much so as to prevent our 
 showing a jib-headed gaff-topsail to it. 
 
 Under this sail the little Water Lily made 
 most excellent way; going a good eight knots 
 through the water, close hauled, and against a 
 very respectable head sea. As the day drew on, 
 the wind freshened ; and, though we carried on as 
 long as we dared, wishing to get round the dreaded 
 Cape as quickly as possible, we were obliged at 
 sunset to take our topsail in, in order to save our 
 topmast. 
 
 By breakfast-time next morning it became 
 necessary to further reduce our canvas, and we 
 accordingly took down a reef in our mainsail. The 
 question now arose whether it would be better to 
 go round outside of everything, or to attempt the 
 Straits of Magellan. We hove the little craft to, 
 and went below and carefully examined the chart ; 
 discussing, as we did so, the comparative advan- 
 tages and disadvantages of the two routes. 
 
 Bob had experience of both; and he seemed to 
 feel that in the present state of the weather, and 
 with the wind as it was, we were likely to make a 
 quicker passage by going on to the southward,
 
 Bob's Dream. 197 
 
 and passing round the Horn. I was of the same 
 opinion, by no means liking" the intricacies of the 
 navigation of the Straits, or the violent tides which 
 our sailing directions told us swept through them. 
 
 We accordingly filled away again, carrying on, 
 notwithstanding the still freshening breeze, until 
 the little Water Lily seemed alternately to threaten 
 diving to the bottom with us or taking flight 
 altogether into the air. We were nearly blinded 
 by the copious showers of spray which flew over 
 us, and our mainsail was wet to its very peak ; yet 
 it was a real pleasure to see the ease and lightness 
 with which the boat skimmed over the now for- 
 midable and angry sea. 
 
 About four bells in the morning watch, we 
 passed within three miles of the easternmost end 
 of Staten Island. An hour later, the breeze 
 freshened upon us so fiercely that we saw it would 
 be dangerous to trifle with it any longer ; so we 
 hauled down our mainsail and stowed it ; and bent 
 and set the trysail in its place, single reefed. 
 This change proved a very great relief to the 
 little craft, the sway and leverage of the heavy 
 main-boom having made her plunge tremendously ;
 
 1 98 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 whereas, now, she went along without shipping a 
 drop of water beyond the spray which she oi 
 
 course still continued to throw over herself. 
 
 It was whilst we were bus)- shifting our alter 
 canvas that the little Lily experienced perhaps 
 one of the most narrow escapes of the whole 
 voyage. We were: too much occupied with our 
 work to keep a very bright look-out; indeed, we 
 considered that, beyond the state; of the wcatlv r, 
 there was nothing to demand our attention. 
 
 We had just completed the: bending of the try- 
 sail, when away to windward of us, not more than 
 a quarter of a mile distant, we observed a large 
 ship running down directly upon us before the 
 wind, under top-gallant stunsails. 
 
 The Lily was almost stationary at the time; 
 and the ship was heading as straight as she pos- 
 sibly could for us. How the trysail went up, it is 
 impossible for me to say; we pulled like demons, 
 and it seemed to rise instantaneously into its place, 
 full)- set. I sprang aft, and put the helm hard up, 
 to gather way; and we had just begun to draw 
 through the water, when the ship took a sheer as 
 though to cross our bows. 1 kept the tiller
 
 Botis Dream. 199 
 
 jammed hard over, and eased away the trysail 
 sheet, intending to wear ; when the ship took 
 another sheer directly towards us. 
 
 She was now close aboard of us, and not a soul 
 could I see on the look-out. Bob rushed aft, 
 with his eye on the ship's bowsprit, evidently pre- 
 pared for a spring ; whilst I shifted the tiller and 
 flattened in the trysail sheet once more. That 
 saved us. The cutter luffed just in time, and 
 shot literally from beneath the ship's bows. So 
 close were we, that had the stranger been pitching 
 instead of 'scalding at the moment, her jibboom- 
 end must have passed . through the peak of our 
 trysail. 
 
 It may seem to the uninitiated an easy matter 
 to keep out of an approaching ship's way, by sim- 
 ply observing the precise direction in which she is 
 steering ; but, as a matter of fact, a ship, when 
 running before the wind, sails in anything but a 
 straight line, sheering first one way and then 
 another, and it is quite impossible for a spectator 
 to judge with accuracy in which direction she will 
 sheer at a given moment ; hence the danger in 
 which we so unexpectedly found ourselves.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A CAPE HORN ('.ALE. 
 
 We stood on to the southward and westward 
 during the remainder of that day, the wind con- 
 tinuing still to freshen, and the sea getting up 
 with most fearful rapidity. The glass fell slowly 
 too, and there appeared to be every prospect of 
 our getting a taste of the quality of the weather 
 for which Cape Horn is so notorious. 
 
 As the sun set, the veil of cloud-wrack which 
 had obscured the heavens all day was rent 
 asunder in the western quarter, and we caught 
 a glimpse of the great luminary hanging upon 
 the verge of the horizon like a ball of molten 
 copper. 
 
 lis level beams shot for a few moments across
 
 A Cape Horn Gaie. 20 1 
 
 the broad expanse of the heaving and wildly- 
 leaping waters, tinging the wave-crests imme- 
 diately in his wake with deep blood-red, whilst 
 all around elsewhere the angry ocean was darkest 
 indigo. A few rays shot upward, gleaming 
 wildly among the flying scud, and then the orb 
 of day sank into the ocean, shooting abroad as he 
 did so a sudden baleful crimson Hare, which 
 gradually died out in the gloom of increasing 
 storm and coming nieht. 
 
 Bob stood by my side watching the wild scene 
 I have so feebly described, and as the sun dis- 
 appeared, he turned to me and remarked : 
 
 " My eyes, Harry ! what d'ye think of that, 
 lad ? To my mind it needs no prophet to tell 
 us with that afore our eyes that we're booked 
 for a reg'lar thorough-bred Cape Horn gale of 
 wind ; and my advice as chief-mate of this here 
 barkie is, that we makes her just as snug as we 
 knows how, for, depend upon it, afore morning 
 we shall have as thorough a trial of her sea- 
 goin' qualities as we're likely to want for many a 
 day to come." 
 
 ' My own idea, Bob," replied I ; "I have
 
 202 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 seldom seen a wilder sunset, and if it docs not 
 mean wind, and plenty of it too, all my weather- 
 lore must go for nothing, and I shall have to turn 
 to and learn everything over afresh." 
 
 " Ay, ay ! you m;i\ say that," returned he, 
 " and I the same ; btit we've both knocked about 
 too many years at sea to make any mistake in 
 our reading when Natur' opens so plain a pa.ge 
 of her book for us as yond ; so the sooner we 
 turns to the better, say I, or we shall have the 
 darkness upon us afore we're ready for it. Thank 
 God, we've plenty of sea-room ; so let's muse 
 up that floating-anchor contrivance of yourn, my 
 lad, for, depend upon it, if ever the Lily is likely 
 to need the consarn she will to-night." 
 
 This floating-anchor I will describe for the 
 benefit ot those who may not have seen such a 
 thing, for it is a most useful affair, and no small 
 craft should undertake a long cruise without one. 
 Ours was formed of two flat bars of iron, each ten 
 feet in length, riveted together in the centre in 
 such a way that they would either fold flat one 
 upon the other (for convenience of stowage), or
 
 A Cape Horn Gale. 20? 
 
 o 
 
 open out at right angles, forming a cross ol four 
 equal arms. 
 
 In each end of each bar was a hole capable of 
 taking a good stout rope swifter, which was set 
 up taut when the bars were opened, so as to keep 
 them spread at right angles. Four other holes 
 were punched, two in each bar, about midway 
 between each end and the centre rivet ; these 
 were for the reception of a crowfoot. 
 
 As soon as the bars were spread open, and the 
 swifter passed and set up, a square sheet ol the 
 stoutest canvas, painted, was spread over them, 
 the edges laced to the swifter with a stout lacing, 
 and the crowfoot tog-pled through the intermediate 
 holes in the bars and corresponding holes in the 
 canvas. 
 
 A buoy was then attached to the end of one 
 arm to float the anchor, with a sufficient amount 
 of buoy-rope to allow it to sink to the requisite 
 depth ; the end of the cable was shackled into the 
 thimble of the crowfoot, the buoy streamed over- 
 board, and the anchor let go. 
 
 I may as well state here, that for the econo- 
 misation of space the buoy for floating our anchor
 
 204 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 was an india-rubber ball, made ot the same ma- 
 terials as an ordinary air-cushion, and distended 
 in the same way. This was enclosed in a strong 
 net of three-strand sinnet, which net was attached 
 to the buoy-rope. 
 
 We hove the craft to whilst we were preparing 
 the anchor, and glad enough was I when it was 
 ready ; for by this time; the sea was running so 
 high and breaking so heavily that I was afraid 
 once or twice, when we were caught broadside-to, 
 that we should be capsized. 
 
 We let go the anchor with only two fathoms of 
 buoy-rope, so as to sink it just deep enough to 
 keep us head to sea without materially interfering 
 with the craft's drift, as we thought we should 
 ride all the easier lor such an arrangement, and so 
 it ]> roved. 
 
 As soon as the anchor was let go, we got our 
 head-sail in, ran in the bowsprit, and got our 
 topmast on deck ; the trysail was close-reefed, 
 and the sheet trimmed amidships, the anchor- 
 light hoisted well up on the fore-stay, and our 
 preparations for the night were complete. 
 
 By this time it was blowing tremendously
 
 A Cape Horn Gale. 205 
 
 heavy, and the howling of the gale overhead, 
 the shriek of the wind through our scanty rig- 
 eine, and the hiss of the foaming water around 
 us mingled into such a deafening sound that 
 Bob and I had fairly to shoiit, even when close 
 alongside of each other, to make ourselves heard. 
 And then it began to thunder and lighten heavily, 
 still further increasing the wild and impressive 
 grandeur of the scene upon which we gazed in 
 awe-struck admiration. 
 
 At one moment all would be deep black pitchy 
 night, lighted up only by the pale unearthly 
 shimmer of some foaming; wave-crest as it 
 rolled menacingly down upon us, gleaming with 
 phosphorescent light ; anon the canopy above 
 would be rent asunder by the vivid lightning- 
 flash, and for an instant the vast whirling; forms of 
 the torn and shredded clouds would be revealed, 
 with a momentary vision of the writhing, leaping, 
 and storm-driven waters beneath them, illumined 
 by the ghastly glare of the levin-brand, and 
 stricken into sudden rigidity by the rapidity of 
 the flash. 
 
 We stayed on deck for about an hour after our
 
 206 llic Sard of the Sands. 
 
 anchor was let go, watching this grand manifesta- 
 tion of the power of the Deity, sublime as terrible, 
 terrible as sublime; and then, finding that no 
 improvement suggested itself in our arrangements, 
 
 and that the Lily rode like a cork over the moun- 
 tain-billows — though occasionally the comb of a 
 more than usually heavy sea would curl in over 
 the bows and send a foaming cataract of water alt 
 and out over her taffrail — we descended to the 
 cabin to get our suppers, for which, by this time, 
 we were quite ready. 
 
 So easy was the motion of the little craft that 
 when we irot below we found no difficultv what- 
 ever in boiling the water, and making ourselves a 
 cup of t^ood strong tea. While discussing this 
 refreshing;' beverage and a few biscuits, we arrived 
 at the conclusion that as we had done all it was 
 possible to do for the safety of the boat, it was 
 useless to keep a watch through the night, and 
 that we would, therefore, take advantage of the: 
 opportunity to get a good undisturbed night's rest, 
 leaving the "sweet little cherub that sits up aloft" 
 to look out. 
 
 Accordingly, as soon as our meal was over, I
 
 A Cape Horn Gale. 207 
 
 left Bob to straighten up below, while I went on 
 deck to take a last look round and see that every- 
 thing was snuof and as it should be, and our light 
 burning brightly. 
 
 I found everything satisfactory, except that it 
 seemed to be blowing harder than ever ; however 
 I could not help that, so I went below again, 
 closing the companion after me ; and we both 
 turned in, chatted awhile, listened to the roaring 
 of the gale and the occasional heavy wash of 
 water along the deck, and finally dropped off to 
 sleep. 
 
 I awoke two or three times during the night, 
 and once I turned out and pushed the slide of the 
 companion far enough back to put my head out- 
 side ; but the night was still as black as pitch, it 
 was blowing harder if anything than before, and 
 the air was full of spindrift and scudwater ; so I 
 pushed over the slide again, and tumbled once 
 more into my comfortable hammock, very vividly 
 impressed both with a sense of our helplessness in 
 the midst of such a heavy gale, and also with the 
 comparative degrees of comfort between the decks 
 and the cabin.
 
 20S The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 Bob was the first to make a muster in the 
 morning ; and his first act. like mine during the 
 night, was to take a look out upon deck. 
 
 " Blowing hard enough to blow the devil's 
 
 o o 
 
 horns off," I heard him exclaim, "and as thick as 
 a hedge. And, my precious eyes ! what a sea ! 
 come up and take: a look at it, Harry, boy ; I 
 never see'd nothing like it all the: years I've been 
 afloat. Hurrah, young un ! that's your sort," as 
 the cutter rose, fearfully near to the perpendicular 
 in surmounting; the crest of a sea, and then slid 
 down, down, down into the trough, until it 
 seemed as though she would sink to the very 
 ocean's bed. " And dofit the little hussy behave 
 beautifully ! She's as floaty as a gull, Hal ; and 
 drier than e'er a seventy-four that ever was 
 launched would be in a sea like: this. Now, what 
 lubber comes here with his eyes sealed up instead 
 of looking before him? Jump up, Harry; quick, 
 boy ! we are in a mess here, and no mistake. 
 No, no ; it's all right, he'll clear us a'ter all. No 
 thanks to him though, for there's not a soul — ah ! 
 so you're beginning to wake up at last, eh !" 
 
 Here I put my head up through the com-
 
 A Cape Horn Gale. 209 
 
 panion, alongside of Bob's lovely phiz, and saw 
 within forty fathoms of us, over the ridge of a 
 sea, and broad on our port beam, the topmast- 
 heads of a brig. As we both rose together on 
 the same sea, her sails first, and then her hull, 
 came into view. 
 
 She was not a large vessel ; about two hundred 
 tons or thereabouts, apparently ; painted all black 
 clown to her copper, excepting a narrow red 
 ribbon which marked the line of her sheer. 
 
 She was hove to on the port tack under a 
 storm - staysail, and her topgallant - masts were 
 down on deck. Everything was very trim and 
 man-o'-war-like on board her ; but no government 
 dockyard ever turned out such a beautiful model 
 as she was. 
 
 When I first caught sight of her, she was 
 heading directly for us ; but as we watched her, 
 her head paid off, and she swept slowly down 
 across our stern, near enough for us to have hove 
 a biscuit on board her. 
 
 Some ten or a dozen heads peered curiously at 
 us over her weather bulwarks as she drove slowly 
 past us, and one man aft on the quarter- 
 
 vol. 1. 14
 
 2io The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 deck, the officer of the watch apparently, seized 
 a trumpet to hail us ; but whether he did 
 so or not, or, if he did, what he said, we neither 
 
 of lis knew; for at that moment we both sank 
 once more into the trough with a perfect mountain 
 of water between us, until we lost sight of him 
 altogether for a moment, even to his mast-heads. 
 
 I took the glass, which we always kept slung in 
 beckets in the companion-way, open and adjusted 
 ready for immediate use, and as she rose once 
 more into view I applied it to my eye, and the 
 first thing which caught my attention was her 
 name, painted on her stern, which was now to- 
 wards us. 
 
 " The Albatross, by all that's unlucky !" ex- 
 claimed I. 
 
 " Blest if we mightn't have guessed as much if 
 we'd been in a guessin' humour," ejaculated Bob. 
 " Honest-going merchant ships ain't so plaguy 
 careful of their spars as that chap— leastways, not 
 such small fry as he is. Pity but what they was, 
 I often says ; but where d'ye find a skipper who'll 
 be bothered to send down his top hamper every 
 time it pipes up a bit of a breeze ? No ; ' Let it
 
 A Cape Horn Gale. 2 1 1 
 
 stand if 'twill,' is the word, ' and if 'twon't, let it 
 blow away.' But the chap is a real good seaman, 
 Harry, no man'll deny that ; look how snug he's 
 o-ot everything ; and all hauled taut and coiled 
 down neat and reg'lar man-o'-war fashion I'll be 
 bound." 
 
 We got, I think, a clearer idea of the tremen- 
 dous strength of the gale by watching the brig 
 than we did even bv the motions of our own little 
 craft. She was tossed about like the merest cockle- 
 shell, and every time that she rose upon the crest 
 of a sea, the wind took her rag of a staysail, dis- 
 tending it as though it would tear it clean out of 
 the boltropes, and heeling the vessel over until 
 we could see the whole of her bottom nearly down 
 to her keel ; and then her sharp bows would 
 cleave the wave-crest in a perfect cataract of 
 foam and spray, and away she would settle down 
 once more with a heavy weather-roll into the 
 trough. 
 
 "Well," exclaimed Bob, as we lost sight of her 
 in the driving scud, " she's a pretty sea-boat is 
 yon brig ; but I'm blest if the little Lily don't beat 
 her even at that game. What say you, Harry ; 
 
 14—2
 
 2 i 2 The Secret of the Saint's. 
 
 ain't she proving true the very words I spoke 
 that night when we first began to talk about this 
 hen- v'yage ?" 
 
 "Indeed she is, Hob." I answered; "I am as 
 surprised as I am delighted at her behaviour ; I 
 could never have believed, without seeing it 
 myself, that so small a craft would even live in 
 
 4 
 
 such weather, much less be as comfortable as she 
 is. But I don't like that" continued I, as the 
 comb of a tremendous sea came curling in over 
 our bows, fairly smothering the little craft in foam 
 for a moment, though she came up immediately 
 afterwards, "shaking her feathers" like a duck. 
 "I'm afraid one of these gentlemen will be 
 starting our skylight or companion for us; and 
 that would be a very serious matter." 
 
 " Never fear," returned Bob confidently. "Our 
 bit of a windlass and the mast breaks the force of 
 it before it reaches the skylight. And that idee of 
 yours in having it rounded at the fore end is a 
 capital one ; it turns the water off < aeh side almost 
 like the stem of a ship, besides bein' stronger than 
 a square-shaped consarn. At the same time, ;ill 
 this water comm--' in on deck don't do no rood
 
 A Cape Horn Gale. 2 1 3 
 
 if it don't do no harm; but how's it to be per- 
 vented ?" 
 
 " I have an idea," said I, " and it's worth a trial. 
 It can do no harm, and if it fails we are no worse 
 off than we were before." 
 
 So saying, I dived below and got out a bottle 
 of oil, through the cork of which I bored three or 
 four holes with a corkscrew, but left the cork in. 
 To the neck of the bottle I made fast the end of 
 about a fathom of marline, and then, going for- 
 ward, I made fast the other end of the marline to 
 one of the links of the chain-cable by which we 
 were riding to our tloating-anchor. 
 
 I then sung out to Bob to give her a few 
 fathoms more chain, and as he did so I hove the 
 bottle overboard. 
 
 In about five minutes the success of my experi- 
 ment became manifest. The oil leaked slowly out 
 through the holes I had bored in the cork, and, 
 diffusing itself on the surface of the water, caused 
 the seas to sweep by us either without breaking 
 at all, or, if they did break, it was with such 
 diminished force that no more water came on 
 board.
 
 2 14 Tlie Sent of the Sands. 
 
 I had heard of " oil on troubled waters" before, 
 but at the time that I did so I never expected to 
 put its virtues to so thoroughly practical a test. 
 
 \\ e went below and got breakfast under weigh ; 
 and whilst discussing the meal, our conversation 
 naturally turned upon the appearance of the 
 Albatross. 
 
 "There can be no question, 1 tear, as to its 
 being that scoundrel [ohnson and his gang of 
 desperadoes," said I, half hoping to hear Bob 
 dispute the probahilitx . 
 
 But he was quite of my opinion. 
 
 "No, no," said he, "that's the scamp, never 
 a doubt ot it. / noticed the name on his starn ; 
 but there warn't no name of a port where he hails 
 from, for the simple reason that he hails from no- 
 where in particular. Besides, a man with hall an 
 eye could tell 1>\ looking at that craft that she's 
 Strong handed. Depend on't, Marry, there's too 
 many hammocks in her fo'c'stle for an honest 
 trader. And, worst luck, she's hound the same 
 road as ourselves at least, she's going round the 
 I lorn ; hut a'ter she gets round it's not so easy to 
 sa\ what course she may steer. We must hope
 
 A Cape Horn Gale. 215 
 
 she's on the look-out for some stray Spaniard or 
 other coming down the coast ; for if we falls in 
 with her ag'in, she'll have some'at to say to us, 
 mark my words." 
 
 " You surely do not suppose the man will con- 
 descend to give such a pigmy as ourselves a 
 thought, do you ?" 
 
 " That's just what he's doing at this identical 
 moment, it's my opinion," returned Bob. " He is 
 not fool enough to suppose we're down here some- 
 wheres off the Horn, in this cockle-shell, on a 
 pleasure trip ; and that we're not come down here 
 to trade he also knows pretty well, or we should 
 have a craft big enough to stow away something 
 like a paying cargo ; and if we're here for neither 
 one nor t'other of them objects, he'll want to know 
 what we are here for ; and, depend upon it, he 
 won't be happy till he's found out. So take my 
 advice, Harry,- and, if we fall in with him again, 
 let's give him a wide berth." 
 
 " Decidedly ; I shall do so if possible," returned 
 I. " But that may prove no such easy matter with 
 so smart a vessel as he has under his feet." 
 
 "Not in heavy weather, certainly," said Bob ;
 
 2 1 6 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 "but give us weather in which we can carry a topsail, 
 
 even if it's no more nor a jib-header, and I'll say, 
 Catch who catch can !' Why, we can lay a good 
 two p'ints closer to the wind than he can, and still 
 keep a good clean full ; and the square-rigged 
 craft that can beat us in going to wind'ard must 
 be an out-and-out flyer, and no mistake. We must 
 keep a bright look-out, and not be caught napping, 
 that's all ; and give everything a good wide berth 
 till we're pretty certain of what it is." 
 
 '•Well," said I, "I trust we shall not fall in 
 with him again. The Pacific is a pretty big place, 
 and it's not so easy to find a craft in it when you 
 don't know where to look for her. If we do meet 
 with him again, we must do all we can to avoid 
 him, and hope for the best." 
 
 "Ay, ay," returned Bob, "'hope for the best 
 and prepare for the worst' is a good maxim for 
 any man. It takes him clear of many a difficulty, 
 and enables him to lay his course on the v'yage of 
 life clean full, and with slack bowlines. As for 
 this here Johnson, I'd ask nothing better than to 
 have him just out of gun-shot under our lee, with 
 a nice breeze, and not too much sea for the little
 
 A Cape Horn Gale. 2 1 7 
 
 Lily, and then let him catch us if he's man enough 
 for the job." 
 
 I certainly could not echo this wish of Bob's ; 
 but it was satisfactory to find that he had such 
 great confidence in the boat and in her ability to 
 escape from the Albatross, so I allowed him to 
 remain in undisturbed enjoyment of his own 
 opinion, especially as it seemed to afford him con- 
 siderable entertainment, and went on deck to take 
 another look at the weather. 
 
 There was no sigm of the Q^ale breaking ; in 
 fact it seemed to be scarcely at its height, for 
 away to windward it looked as dirty and as full of 
 wind as ever ; and the sea was something awful 
 to contemplate. It looked, of course, worse to us 
 than it would to those on the deck of a large ship ; 
 but even allowing for that, it was unquestionably 
 running far higher than anything I had ever seen 
 before. 
 
 I have read somewmere that scientific men 
 assert that even in the heaviest ^ales and in mid- 
 ocean the sea never attains a greater height than 
 twenty feet from trough to crest ; but with all 
 due respect to them and their science-founded
 
 2i8 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 opinions, I take leave to assert that they are in 
 this instance mistaken. 
 
 An intelligent sailor (and I modestly claim to 
 be at least this much) is as capable of judging the 
 height of a sea as the most scientific ot mortals; 
 and 1 am confident of this, that many of the seas 
 I watched that morning ran as high as our cross- 
 trees, which were a trifle over thirty teet above 
 the surface of the water. 
 
 Indeed, to satisfy myself thoroughly upon this 
 point I climbed so high (with the utmost diffi- 
 culty, and at very great risk of being blown over- 
 board), and whilst looking over the crosstrees, 
 I saw tin: crest of more than one sea rearing itself 
 between my eye and the horizon. 
 
 So far the Water Lily had weathered the gale 
 scatheless ; there was not so much as a ropeyarn 
 out of its place or carried away; and as there 
 seemed to be no greater danger than there had 
 been through the night, and as I had taken a 
 good look round when aloft without seeing any- 
 thing, we both went below to enjoy the comfort 
 of the cabin, for on deck everything was cold, wet, 
 and dismal in the extreme.
 
 A Cape Horn Gale. 2 i 9 
 
 I was anxious to get a sight of the sun at noon, 
 if possible, so as to ascertain our exact latitude. 
 I knew we were not very far to the southward of 
 Staten ; and I did not know but there might be a 
 current setting us toward it, in which case we 
 might find ourselves very awkwardly situated. 
 
 It looked half inclined to break away two or 
 three times during the morning ; but as mid-day 
 approached it became as bad as ever ; and I had 
 the vexation of seeing noon pass by without so 
 much as a momentary glimpse of the sun. 
 
 Towards evening, therefore, I took advantage 
 of an exceptionally clear moment, and again 
 scrambled aloft and took a thorough crood look all 
 round, and especially to the northward. There 
 was nothing in sight ; and with this I was obliged 
 to rest satisfied. 
 
 We noticed just about this time that the seas 
 were beginning to break on board asfain, so I 
 concluded that our bottle of oil was exhausted, 
 and accordintrlv sot out another, and having 
 bored holes in the cork, as I had done with the 
 first, it was bent on to the cable, more cable paid 
 out, and we again rode all the easier. Our
 
 220 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 anchor-light was trimmed and lighted and hoisted 
 ii|), and we went below to our tea, or supper, as 
 sailors generally term it. 
 
 We had found the day dreadfully tedious, 
 cooped up as we were in our low cabin, and a 
 meal was a most welcome break in the monotony. 
 We sat long over this one, therefore, prolonging 
 it to its utmost extent ; and when it was over, we 
 both turned to and cleared up the wreck. 
 
 By the time that all was done it was intensely 
 dark ; but, before settling down below for the 
 night, we both put our heads up through the com- 
 panion, to take a last look round. 
 
 Bob was rather beforehand with me, and he had 
 no sooner put his head outside than he pulled it in 
 again, exclaiming", in an awe-struck tone : 
 
 " Look here, Harry ; what d'ye think of this ?"' 
 
 I looked in the direction he: indicated, and then' 
 upon our lowermast-head, and also upon the try- 
 sail gaff-end, was a globe of pale, sickly green 
 light, which wavered to and fro, lengthening out 
 and flattening in again as the cutter tossed wildly 
 Over the mountainous seas. 
 
 It had not the appearance of flame, but rather
 
 A Cape Horn Gale. 2 2 1 
 
 of highly luminous mist, brilliant at the core, and 
 softening off and becoming more dim as the cir- 
 cumference of the globe was reached ; and it 
 emitted a feeble and unearthly light of no great 
 power. 
 
 I had never seen such a thing before, but I had 
 often heard of it, and I recognised our strange 
 visitors at once as corposants, or " lamps of St. 
 Elmo," as they are called by the seamen of the 
 Mediterranean ; though our own sailors call them 
 by the less dignified name of " Davy Jones' 
 lanterns." 
 
 "What d'ye think of bein' boarded by the likes 
 of that ?" again queried Bob, in a hoarse whisper. 
 " Old Davy is out on a cruise to-night, I reckon ; 
 and it looks as though he meant to pay us a visit, 
 by his h'isting them two lanterns of his'n in our 
 rigging. Did ye ever see anything like it afore, 
 Harry, lad ?" 
 
 "Never," replied I, "but I have often heard 
 them spoken of, old man ; and though they cer- 
 tainly arc rather queer to look at, they are easily 
 accounted for. I have heard it said that they are 
 the result of a peculiar electrical condition of the
 
 222 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 atmosphere, and that the electricity, attracted by 
 any such points as the yard-arms or mast-heads of 
 a ship, accumulates there until it becomes visible 
 in the form we are now looking at." 
 
 "And is the light never visible except at the 
 end of a spar?" queried Bob. 
 
 " I believe not," I replied ; "hut " 
 
 "Then sail ho !" exclaimed Bob excitedly, point- 
 ing in the direction of our starboard how. 
 
 I looked in the direction he indicated, but was 
 too late : we were on the very summit of a wave 
 at the moment that Boh spoke, but were now 
 settling into the trough. As we rose to the next 
 sea, however, I not only saw the ghostly lififht. but 
 also got an indistinct view of the ship herself. 
 
 She was fearfully close, but appeared to be at 
 the moment sheering away from us. She looked 
 long enough lor a three-masted vessel, but one 
 mast only was standing, evidently the mainmast. 
 The corposant appeared to have attached itself to 
 the stump of her foremast, which had been carried 
 away about fifteen or twenty feet from the deck ; 
 and I thought her bowsprit seemed also to be 
 missing.
 
 A Cape Horn Gale. 223 
 
 She was scudding under close-reefed maintop- 
 sail, and, from her sluggish movements, was evi- 
 dently very much overloaded, or, what I thought 
 more probable, had a great deal of water in her. 
 I was the more inclined to this opinion from the 
 peculiar character of her motions. 
 
 As she rose on the back of a sea, her stern 
 seemed at first to be pinned down, as it were, until 
 it appeared as though the following wave would 
 run clean over her ; but gradually her stern rose 
 until it was a considerable height above the water, 
 wmilst her bow in its turn seemed weighed down, 
 as would be the case with a lanje bodv of water 
 rush i no- from aft forward. 
 
 They evidently saw our light, for a faint hail of 
 
 " ahoy !" came down the wind to us from 
 
 her. 
 
 "In distress and wants assistance, bv the look 
 of it," remarked Bob. " But, poor chaps, it's little 
 of that we can give 'em. Heaven and 'arth ! look 
 at that, Harry." 
 
 As he spoke, the ship, which was rushing for- 
 ward furiously on the back of a sea, suddenly 
 sheered wildly to port, until she lay broadside to ;
 
 224 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 iht: crest of the sea overtook her, and, breaking 
 on hoard her in one vast volume of wildly Bashing 
 
 loam, threw her down upon her beam-ends, and, 
 as it swept over her, her mast declined more and 
 more towards the water, until it lay submerged. 
 
 Then, as we gazed in speechless horror at the 
 dreadful catastrophe, a loud, piercing shriek rang 
 out clear and shrill above the hoarse diapason of 
 the howling tempest. She rolled completely bottom 
 upwards, and then disappeared. 
 
 " Broached to, and capsized !" ejaculated we 
 both in the same breath. 
 
 "Jump below, Hob, and rouse up a coil ol 
 line, whilst I get the life-buoys ready," exclaimed 
 I, after a single moments pause to collect my 
 scattered faculties. 
 
 In an instant I had all four of the buoys read}. 
 and two of them bent on to the longest rope- 
 ends I could lay my hands on, and, in another, 
 that glorious Bob appeared with a coil ot rat- 
 line on his shoulder and a lighted blue-light in 
 his hand. 
 
 The stops were cut and the ends of the coil 
 cleared in no time-, and the two remaining
 
 A Cape Horn Gale. 225 
 
 buovs bent on, while Bob held the blue li^ht 
 aloft at arm's length, for the double purpose of 
 throwing the light as far as possible over the 
 water, and also to indicate our whereabouts to 
 any strong swimmer who might be struggling 
 for his life among the mountain surges, and to 
 guide him to our tiny ark of refuge. 
 
 For nearly an hour did we peer anxiously 
 into the gloom, in the hope of seeing some poor 
 soul within reach of such assistance as it was 
 in our power to afford, but in vain ; there is 
 no doubt that the vessel sucked all hands down 
 with her when she sank into her watery 
 grave. 
 
 When at last we reluctantly desisted from our 
 efforts, and were in the act of securing the life- 
 buoys once more, Bob cast his eyes aloft, and 
 called my attention to the fact that the corpo- 
 sants had disappeared. 
 
 " Depend on't, Harry," quoth he, " them lan- 
 terns didn't come aboard of us for nothing. 
 They mightn't have meant mischief for us exactly 
 — for you can't always read Old Davy's signs 
 aright ; but you see they did mean mischief, 
 
 vol. 1. 15
 
 226 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 and plenty of it too, for the) no sooner appears 
 aloft than a fine ship and her crew goes down 
 close alongside of us ; and as soon as that hit 
 of work was over, away the_\' go somewhere else 
 to light up the; scene of further devilry, I make no 
 manner of doubt." 
 
 It was utterly in vain that I attempted to argue 
 the honest fellow out of his belief that their 
 appearance was a portent of disaster, for his 
 mind was deeply imbued with all those super- 
 stitious notions which appear to take such pecu- 
 liarly firm hold on the ideas of sailors ; and 
 against superstitions of lifelong duration, argu- 
 ment and reason are of but little avail. 
 
 As may readily be believed, our slumbers that 
 night, after witnessine' so distressing a scene, 
 were anything but sound. Bob and I were up 
 and down between the deck and the cabin .it 
 least half a dozen times before morning, and it 
 was with a sense of unutterable relief that, as 
 day broke, we found that the gale was breaking 
 also. 
 
 Bv the time that breakfast was over there was 
 
 J 
 
 a sensible diminution in the force of the wind,
 
 A Cape Horn Gale. 227 
 
 and by noon it cleared away sufficiently over- 
 head to enable me to get an observation, not a 
 particularly good one certainly — the sea was 
 running- far too high for that ; but it enabled 
 me to ascertain that we were at least sixty miles 
 to the southward of Staten. 
 
 About four p.m. I got a very much better 
 observation for my longitude, and I found by it 
 that our drift had not been anything like so 
 great as I had calculated it would be. This I 
 thought might possibly arise from our being in 
 a weather-setting current. 
 
 There was still rather too much of both wind 
 and sea to make us disposed to get under way 
 that night, but we managed to get the craft up 
 to the buoy of our floating-anchor, which we 
 weighed and let go again with five fathoms of 
 buoy-rope. 
 
 This was to prevent as much as possible any 
 further drift to leeward, and to take full advan- 
 tage of the current, the existence of which we 
 suspected. 
 
 Next morning, however, the weather had so 
 far moderated that, tired of our long inaction, 
 
 15—2
 
 228 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 we resolved to make a start once more, so shaking 
 the reefs out of the trysail, and rigging our bow- 
 sprit out far enough to set a small jib, we got 
 our floating-anchor in, and stood away to the 
 southward and westward, with the wind out from 
 about west-nor'-west.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 CHASED BY PIRATES. 
 
 Th^e weather now rapidly became finer, and the 
 ocean, no longer lashed into fury by the breath 
 of the tempest, subsided once more into long 
 regular undulations. The wind hauled gradually 
 more round from the northward too, and blew 
 warm and balmy ; a most welcome change after 
 the raw and chilly weather we had lately ex- 
 perienced. 
 
 We once more cracked on sail upon the little 
 Water Lily ; and on the morning following 
 that upon which we filled away upon our course, 
 finding by observation that we were well clear 
 of the Cape, and that we had plenty of room even 
 should the wind once more back round from the
 
 230 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 westward, we hauled close-up, and stood away on 
 a nor'-west-and-by-westerly course. 
 
 Nothing" of importance occurred for more than 
 a week. The weather continued settled, and tin- 
 glass stood high ; the wind was out at about 
 north, and sufficiently moderate to permit of 
 our carrying our jib-headed topsail ; and day 
 after day we flew forward upon our course, 
 seldom making less than ten knots in the 
 hour, and occasionally reaching as high as 
 thirteen. 
 
 We were perfectly jubilant ; for having rounded 
 the Cape in safety we now considered our troubles 
 over and our ultimate success as certain. We 
 were fairly in the Pacific, the region of fine 
 weather ; and our little barkie had behaved so 
 well in the rale that our confidence in her sea- 
 
 O 
 
 worthiness was thoroughly established ; so that all 
 fear of future danger from bad weather was com- 
 pletely taken off our minds. 
 
 One morning, the wind having fallen consider- 
 ably lighter during the preceding night, as soon 
 as breakfast was over I roused up our square-
 
 Chased by Pirates. 231 
 
 headed topsail, with the intention of setting it in 
 the room of the small one. 
 
 But when I proceeded to take the latter in, I 
 found that the halliards were somehow jammed 
 aloft, and I shinned up to clear them. No sailor, 
 if he really be a seaman, and not a tinker or a 
 tailor, ever goes aloft without taking a good look 
 round him ; so after I had cleared the halliards I 
 clung to the slim spar for a minute or two whilst I 
 swept the horizon carefully around. 
 
 " Sail ho !" shouted I, as I caught a glimpse of 
 the royals of a vessel gleaming snowy white in 
 the brilliant sunshine far away in the south-western 
 board. 
 
 " Where away ?" shouted Bob. 
 
 " Broad on our lee-bow," I answered, still 
 clinging to the thin wire- topmast shrouds. 
 
 "What d'ye make her out to be, Harry, my 
 lad ?" was the next question. 
 
 " Either a barque or a brig," answered I ; " the 
 latter I am inclined to believe, though he is still 
 too far away for his mizzen-mast to show, if he has 
 one." 
 
 "Why d'ye think it's a brig, Harry?" queried Bob.
 
 -)->-> 
 
 3- The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 " His canvas looks too small for that of a 
 barque," replied I, as I slid down on deck, having 
 seen all that it was possible to see at present. 
 
 "Then it's that — Albatross again, for a 
 thousand," ejaculated Bob in a tone of deep dis- 
 gust. " That's just the p'int where he might 
 reasonably be looked for. He made sail long 
 enough afore we did, a'ter the gale had Mowed 
 itself out, and consequently got a good long leg to 
 the west'ard of us ; but as we've been steering 
 perhaps a couple of p'ints higher than he has for 
 most of the time since, we've overhauled him ; 
 and now he's come round to to to the nor'ard, 
 and we've fallen in with him once more." 
 
 1 was inclined to take the same view of the 
 matter that Bob did. It is true that when once a 
 ship passes out of sight at sea you can never be 
 sure of her exact position afterwards ; yet, under 
 certain circumstances, taking the direction of the 
 wind and the state of the weather as data upon 
 which to base your argument, and, in conjunction 
 with these, the course the vessel was steering 
 when last seen, or the part of the world to which 
 you have reason to believe she is bound, it is
 
 Chased by Pirates. 233 
 
 astonishing how near a guess may be and is not 
 unfrequently made as to her whereabouts. 
 
 Now we knew that the Albatross was bound to 
 the Pacific when we last saw her, because she 
 was then hove-to, evidently with the intention of 
 maintaining as weatherly a position as possible. 
 Had she been bound to the eastward, the weather 
 was not so bad at that time as to have prevented 
 her scudding before it, which she undoubtedly 
 would have done under such circumstances, 
 making a fair wind of it. 
 
 At the same time there was of course a possi- 
 bility of our being mistaken as to the craft in 
 sight being the pirate-brig, it being by no means 
 an unusual thing for vessels as small as she was, 
 or even smaller, to venture round the Cape. 
 
 "Well," said I, " perhaps it will be safest, Bob, 
 to assume for the present that this brig is the 
 Albatross. What, under such circumstances, is 
 your advice ?" 
 
 ' Wnich of us has the weather-gage, d'ye 
 think ?" queried Bob. 
 
 "It is rather difficult to decide at present," I 
 replied. " Much depends upon which of us is the
 
 234 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 fastest. If we are both going at about the same 
 speed, I should sa\ we shall pass extremely close 
 to her." 
 
 "How is she heading, Marry?" was the next 
 question. 
 
 " To the northward, rather edging down to- 
 wards us, if anything," I thought. 
 
 " Ay, ay," chuckled Bob, " it ain't every craft 
 as can stick her bowsprit into the wind's eye like 
 this here little barkie. Now I dare; swear he's 
 jammed hard up upon a taut bowline, and here we 
 are going as close to the wind as he is, and every 
 thread ramping full. Take hold of her a minute 
 1 lal, and let's see what these old eyes of mine can 
 tell us about the stranger." 
 
 1 took hold of the tiller, and Bob went aloft 
 with the deliberation of the seaman who is in no 
 particular hurry. Having reached the crosstrecs, 
 he stood upon them, with one hand grasping the 
 peak-halliards to steady himself, whilst with the 
 other he shaded his eyes. 
 
 "I see her, I see her," he exclaimed; "we're 
 raising her fast, Harry, my boy ; and in another 
 half hour or so we shall see her from the deck."
 
 Chased by Pirates. 235 
 
 He then went as high as the yard of the topsail, 
 and clung there for a good five minutes, reading 
 all the sisfns which a seaman sees in the almost 
 imperceptible peculiarities of rig, shape of sails, 
 etc. Having satisfied himself, he descended 
 deliberately to the deck, evidently ruminating 
 deeply. 
 
 " Now I'll tell ye what I think of the matter, 
 Harry," said he, as he came aft and seated him- 
 self beside me. " There's a familiar sort of a look 
 with that craft away yonder ; I seems to recog- 
 nise her as some'at I've seen afore ; and I've no 
 moral doubt in the world but what it's that villain 
 Johnson, although we can't be sartain of it until 
 we eets a nearer look at her. And I've an idee 
 that, if anything, it's we that's got the weather- 
 gage ; and if so, by all means keep it, even if we 
 has to run the orauntlet of her broadside for a 
 
 o 
 
 minute or two. Once let's be to wind'ard, and 
 in such weather as this I wouldn't fear the 
 smartest square - rigged craft that ever was 
 launched. We could lead 'em no end of a dance, 
 and then give 'em the slip a'terwards when we 
 was tired of the fun. So my advice is to luff up
 
 236 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 as close as you can ; not too close ye know, lad ; 
 let her go through it ; but spring your luff all as 
 you can get, and let's try what our friend yonder 
 is made of. As long as we're to leeward of him 
 the game is his; but let's gret to wincPard of him 
 and it's ours to do what we like with it." 
 
 I had it in my mind to take in all the canvas 
 and lie perdu until the brig had crossed our 
 course and was well out of our road to the north- 
 ward ; but that would still be leaving him the 
 weather-gage ; and I saw full}' as clearly as Bob 
 did the advantage of obtaining this, if possible ; 
 so on we stood, boldly, lying a good point 
 higher than we had been before steering, yet 
 keeping every sail a good clean full, and drawing 
 to perfection. 
 
 The wind, however, was dropping fast ; and by 
 the time that the sun was on the meridian we 
 wire not going more than five knots. This made 
 me extremely anxious ; more particularly as the 
 stranger proved a remarkably fast vessel ; so 
 much so. that it still remained a matter of doubt 
 which of us would cross the other. 
 
 Bob, on the other hand, was delighted beyond
 
 Chased by Pirates. 237 
 
 measure, stoutly avowing that the falling breeze 
 was little, if anything, short of a divirte manifesta- 
 tion in our favour. He declared himself ready to 
 stake all he was possessed of in the world (and if 
 the brig should turn out to be the pirate, he 
 actually was staking his life) on our speed as 
 against that of the stranger in light winds, and 
 was already chuckling in anticipation over that 
 craft's discomfiture. 
 
 She was within about five miles of us, still 
 maintaining her relative position of about four 
 points on our lee bow, when Bob served dinner 
 on deck, as was our custom in fine weather. 
 
 We were very busy with the viands, keeping 
 one eye always on the brig however, when we 
 noticed something fluttering over her taffrail ; and 
 the next moment a flag of some sort floated up to 
 her peak. 
 
 I was at the tiller ; so Bob took the glass, and 
 levelling it at the brig, gave her a more thorough 
 scrutiny than we had bestowed upon her at all 
 hitherto. 
 
 " The stars and stripes, and a pennant !" 
 exclaimed he, with his eye still at the tube.
 
 238 The Secret of tlie Sands. 
 
 " Lord bless us for the two pretty innocents he 
 takes us for, Harry ; but there, of course he don't 
 know as we've got his character and all about him 
 at our fingers' ends. Well, anyhow, we won't be 
 behindhand with him in the matter of politeness ;" 
 and therewith Master Bob dived below, returning 
 in a moment with our ensign and club burgee in 
 his hand, which he bent to their respective 
 halliards and ran them up — the one to our gaff- 
 end, and the other to our masthead. 
 
 As we had by this time finished our meal, Bob 
 cleared the things away, muttering something 
 about having " plenty to do afore long besides 
 eating 1 and drinking." 
 
 Our colours had not been displayed above a 
 minute, when four small balls were seen ascending 
 to the brig's main royal-masthead, where they 
 broke abroad and waved lazily out in the failing 
 breeze as a signal. 
 
 Bob at once assumed the duties of signal- 
 officer, by once more taking a peep through the 
 glass. 
 
 " Commercial code pennant," said he ; and then 
 he read out the flags beneath it.
 
 Chased by Pirates. 239 
 
 " Run clown and fetch up the signal-book," 
 said I. 
 
 He did so ; we turned up the signal, and read, 
 " Come under my lee ; I wish to speak you." 
 
 " Thank 'ee !" ejaculated Bob, " not if we can 
 help it, Mister Johnson. I reckon 'twould be 
 about the most onprofitable conwersation as ever 
 the crew of this here cutter took a part in. 
 We've got our own wholesome planks to walk, 
 aboard here, when we wants any of that sort of 
 exercise ; and though there's not much to boast 
 of in the way of room, I dare say there's more 
 of that than we'd find on the plank yottA give 
 us for a parade ground. Seems to me, Hal, as 
 we're bringing him nearer abeam than he was a 
 while ago ; ain't it so ?" 
 
 " You are right, Bob," I replied, glancing at 
 the compass ; "he is more than a point farther 
 aft than he was a quarter of an hour ago ; but 
 is it not possible that we are giving ourselves 
 needless uneasiness ? That craft certainly has a 
 look of the Albatross ; but we are not sure that it 
 is her after all." 
 
 " D'ye notice his maintopmast-staysail, Harry ?"
 
 240 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 returned he ; "cut like a trysail, and set on a stay- 
 that leads down just clear of his fore-top and 
 into the slings of his fore-yard. How many 
 vessels will ye see with a sail shaped like that ? 
 Yet I noticed that his was the other day. And 
 there's the red ribbon round him too ; in fact, 
 it's the silbatross all over," concluded he, with the 
 glass once more at his eye. 
 
 It was but too evident that Rob was ri^ht. I 
 had been hoping that the- general resemblance 
 of the brig in sight to the Albatross was purely 
 accidental ; but she was now within less than 
 three miles of us ; and, even without the aid of 
 the telescope, certain features, if I may so term 
 them, were recognisable, which identified her 
 beyond all question as the pirate brig - . 
 
 " What shall we do about answering his signal, 
 Bob?" said I. 
 
 " Let it fly as it is, ////answered," he replied 
 composedly. " Look where we're dropping him 
 to ; in another quarter of an hour we shall have 
 him fairly on our lee-beam, and that too out of 
 gunshot, unless, as is most likely the case, he's 
 got a long gun ; but if he has, we're a small
 
 Chased by Pirates. 241 
 
 mark to fire at, and we'll soon slip out of range 
 even of that." 
 
 It was by this time perfectly manifest that 
 whatever he mi^ht be able to do in a breeze, 
 he had no chance with us in a light air like the 
 present ; and I entertained strong hopes of being 
 able to slip past him unscathed, when I felt 
 sanguine of our ability to get fairly away from 
 him in a chase dead to windward. 
 
 But he evidently had no notion of letting us 
 have our own way in this matter, without a 
 pretty vigorous protest on his part ; for as we 
 were still watching him, we saw the brig slowly 
 luff into the wind ; his fore-sheet was raised 
 for a moment, a flash of flame and a puff of 
 white smoke darted suddenly from his forecastle, 
 and then we saw the jets spouting up where 
 the shot struck the water, as it came ricocheting 
 towards us. He had aimed apparently so as to 
 throw the shot across our fore-foot ; but it fell 
 short by about fifty feet. 
 
 "Do that again, you lubber!" exclaimed Bob, 
 contemptuously apostrophising the brig. "Three 
 more such fool's tricks as that, and we'll say 
 
 vol. 1. 16
 
 242 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 good-bye t'ye without ever having been within 
 range. See how long it takes him to pay off 
 ag'in, Harry ; very near lost his way altogether, 
 when he'd a had to box her off with his head- 
 yards ; and by the time he'd done that we should 
 be well clear of him. Well, \ .did think the; 
 man had more sense than to do the like of 
 that." 
 
 Friend Johnson evidently saw his mistake as 
 clearly as we did, for he fired no more until we 
 had crept up fairly ahead of him. Just as we 
 were crossing his bows, however, and had got 
 his masts in one — by which time he had drawn 
 considerably nearer us — the brig fell off a little, 
 not to repeat her former error, and again came 
 the Hash, the smoke, and the ringing re- 
 port. 
 
 " Here it comes straight for us this time, and 
 no mistake," exclaimed Rob, as the water-jets 
 again marked the course of the shot. " Scald- 
 ings ! out of the road all of us that's got thin 
 skulls," continued he, as the shot came skipping 
 across the water in such long bounds as showed 
 we were: within range. "Well missed!" added
 
 Chased by Pirates. 243 
 
 he, as the shot struck the water close to us, 
 and bounded fairly over the boat, passing close 
 beneath the main-boom and the foot of the 
 mainsail, without injuring so much as a rope- 
 yarn. 
 
 " That's his long gun, Bob," said I ; " his 
 broadside guns would never reach so far as this, 
 and though we're just now in rather warm 
 quarters, we shall be out of range again very 
 soon ; and then, I think, we need give our- 
 selves no further trouble concerning him. Any 
 way, you've got something very like the fulfil- 
 ment of the wish you expressed the other 
 day." 
 
 " Ay, ay, that's true, Hal, I have," answered 
 he, with a quiet laugh ; "and I do own it's a great 
 satisfaction to me that we're carcumventin' the 
 chap this 'a way. I'll warrant he's walking the 
 quarter-deck at this minute lit to bite his fingers 
 off wi' vexation at our slipping past him in this 
 style." 
 
 Here another shot from the brig came bounding - 
 after us ; but we offered him a much smaller mark 
 than before, inasmuch as he was now nearly dead 
 
 16 — 2
 
 244 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 astern of us, and we consequently presented an 
 end instead of a broadside view to him. 
 
 The shot shaved us pretty close to windward 
 nevertheless, striking the water for the last time 
 just short of our taffrail, and scurrying along and 
 ploughing up the surface close enough to give us 
 a pretty copious shower-bath of spray ere it finally 
 sank just ahead of us. 
 
 The next shot, which quickly followed, passed 
 almost as close to leeward; and the third came 
 straight enough, but fell just short of us. 
 
 After this he fired no more. 
 
 " Very cleverly managed, I call that, Harry, 
 said Bob, as soon as we found ourselves once more 
 out of range. " We can now take things quietly ; 
 and as it's your watch below, I'd recommend you 
 to turn in and get a bit of a snooze. It's your 
 eight hours out to-night, my lad, and if the breeze 
 should happen to freshen about sundown, and that 
 chap comes after us — and, by the piper, he means 
 that same, for I'm blest if he isn't in stays — you'll 
 need to keep both eyes open all your watch." 
 
 This was good advice, and I at once proceeded 
 to adopt it, cautioning Bob to be sure to call me
 
 Chased by Pirates. 245 
 
 without delay in the event of any further complica- 
 tion arising. 
 
 I had not been below above two minutes when 
 I heard his voice shouting to me to come on deck 
 arain. Wondering what was now in the wind, I 
 sprang- up the short companion-ladder, and my 
 eye at once falling upon the brig (which was now 
 dead astern of us, heading in the same direction 
 as ourselves, though not lying so close to the wind), 
 I saw in a moment that our troubles were not yet 
 by any means over. 
 
 The wind had bv this time fallen so li^ht that 
 we were not making above three knots' way through 
 the water, whilst the pirate appeared barely to 
 have steerage-way — in fact, his canvas was flap- 
 ping to the mast with every sluggish roll which 
 the vessel took over the long, scarcely perceptible 
 swell. 
 
 Friend Johnson was evidently greatly nettled at 
 our having slipped so handsomely through his 
 fingers as we had, and seemed determined to have 
 a word or two with us yet, whether we would or 
 no ; for he had lowered one of his boats, and she 
 was just leaving the vessel in chase.
 
 246 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 I took tin- glass, and counted six men at the 
 oars, besides one or two (I could not be sure 
 which) in the stern-sheets. 
 
 This was serious indeed ; for a light boat, pro- 
 pelled by six good oarsmen, would go about two 
 feet to our one at our then rate of sailing, and 
 must necessarily soon overhaul us. 
 
 Our case appeared pretty nearly desperate: ; but 
 a seaman never gives up " whilst there is a shot 
 in the locker," or a fresh expedient to be tried. 
 So I directed Rob to keep the cutter away about 
 three points, and then lash the tiller, and lend me 
 a hand to get our balloon canvas set. 
 
 'Idle topsail was shifted in next to no time, and 
 then we got the spinnaker to the bowsprit-end, 
 leading the sheet aft to the main-boom ; after 
 which we took in our jib and stopped it along the 
 bowsprit, ready for setting again at a moment's 
 notice, and hauled down our staysail. 
 
 This additional spread of canvas, coupled with 
 the fact that we were running far enough off the 
 wind to permit of its drawing well, made a per- 
 ceptible difference in our speed — quite a knot, I 
 considered, and Bob agreed with me.
 
 Chased by Pirates. 247 
 
 " Now, what's the next thing to be done, 
 Harry ?" inquired he, as soon as we had com- 
 pleted our task of shifting the sails. " This is all 
 very well as far as it goes, but yon boat is over- 
 hauling us at every stroke of the oars, and we've 
 only postponed the pleasure of an introduction to 
 the chaps, unless the breeze happens to freshen 
 up a trifle, of which I sees no signs just at pre- 
 sent." 
 
 " I've made up my mind," I replied. " We 
 must not be taken, Bob. I feel convinced that 
 our lives would not be worth an hour's purchase 
 if we fell into the hands of that villain ; but, even 
 supposing he were to stop short of murder, his 
 malignity would doubtless prompt him to destroy 
 the little Lily; and by such an act all our past 
 efforts would be nullified, and our future success 
 rendered extremely doubtful. We must fight 
 Robert, my man, now that we can no longer run ; 
 so let's get our gun up and rigged without further 
 delay. By the time that we have it ready, they 
 will be within range ; and I think we may per- 
 suade them to turn back yet." 
 
 " So be it," replied Bob gleefully. " I'd always
 
 24 S The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 rather fight than run away, Harry, lad — at least, 
 when it's anything like a fair match ; so let's rouse 
 lip the pop-gun and have a shy at 'em." 
 
 This gun was, as I think I have mentioned 
 before, a four-pound rilled piece, which was speci- 
 ally made to my order by an eminent firm. It 
 was a most beautiful little weapon, exquisitely 
 finished ; was a breech-loader, and threw a solid 
 shot about a mile, and a shell nearly half as far 
 again. It was mounted on a swivel or pivot, 
 which we had the means of firmly fixing to the 
 deck. 
 
 We got it out and upon deck, and soon had it 
 mounted and ready for service. Bob took the 
 tiller, desiring- me to work the gun, as I was not 
 only a more practised artillerist than he, but knew 
 also how to handle a breech-loader, and I had 
 the: knack somehow of shootinij' straight. 
 
 I had it loaded, and was in the act of levelling 
 it, when Hob said, "Suppose we was to let them 
 chaps get a bit nearer, Hal, afore we opens 
 lire I've a notion that if we gets 'em well away 
 from the brig, and well within range of our little 
 barker there, we might give em such a peppering
 
 Chased by Pirates. 249 
 
 afore they could get clear of us ag'in as would 
 sicken 'em of having any more to do with us. 
 Perhaps it mightn't be quite onpossible to destr'y 
 the boat altogether, and then there's seven or 
 eight good hands wiped off the chap's books. 
 This here ain't like a ordinary enemy, you see, 
 lad — he's a sort of general enemy to all man- 
 kind ; and the more harm we can do to him, 
 the more Qrood we'll be doinor- the rest of the 
 world." 
 
 It sounded rather like cold-blooded barbarity, 
 this proposal of Bob's to attempt the destruction 
 instead of the repulse of the boat in pursuit of us, 
 but every word he said in support of his proposi- 
 tion was strictly true ; and indeed some such idea 
 had been present in my own mind, so I withheld 
 my fire for a time. 
 
 At length, however, they were within half a 
 mile of us, and I thought we might now fairly 
 commence operations. I carefully levelled the 
 piece accordingly, and desiring Bob to sit well 
 out of the line of lire and steer as steadily as pos- 
 sible, I watched the heave of the cutter, and 
 pulled the trigger-line.
 
 250 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 The shot sped straight for the boat, but, striking 
 the water just before it reached her, bounded 
 clear over her and into the sea beyond. There 
 
 J 
 
 was a shout from the people in the boat, and we 
 could see that they stretched to their oars with 
 doubled exertion. 
 
 '• Straight as it could lto, Harry, lad. but rather 
 
 too much elevation ; try em again, boy. and look 
 smart about it too, for they're giving way as if the 
 devil was behind 'cm." 
 
 " Which he probably is, if they did but know it, 
 Bob," returned I. " Keep cool, old man ; there's 
 no hurry ; you attend to the steering of the craft, 
 I'll undertake to cool their courage for them be- 
 fore they're very much older." 
 
 "Ay, ay," retorted Bob, "keep cool it is; but 
 it's getting to be rather ticklish work, lad, ain't 
 . it?" 
 
 I was too busy with the gun to reply just then, 
 and in another moment 1 fired once more. This 
 time we saw the- splinters fly from the bows of 
 the boat, and one of the oarsmen sprang from his 
 seat and fell back into the arms of the man behind 
 him.
 
 Chased by Pirates. 251 
 
 There was a moment of confusion with them, 
 and then we saw one of the men in the stern- 
 sheets (there were two of them) step along the 
 thwarts and take the injured man's place. This 
 looked like a fixed determination to come along- 
 side at any price, so I this time inserted a shell 
 instead of a solid shot, which I had before been 
 firing. 
 
 Once more, after a very careful aim, the little 
 piece rang out, and again the shot reached its 
 mark ; this time with terrible effect, for the shell 
 exploded as it passed through the boat's thin 
 planking, and the fragments, continuing their 
 flight forward, told so severely among the crew 
 that it appeared as if they were all more or less 
 hurt. We saw four fall from the thwarts, at all 
 events, and all hands ceased pulling, whilst three 
 of the oars slipped unnoticed overboard. 
 
 I unrove the spinnaker-sheet from the main- 
 boom before the astonished Bob knew what I was 
 about, let go the halliards, and let the sail down 
 by the run ; and then jumped to the jib halliards 
 and hoisted the sail like lightning. 
 
 "Now," shouted I, "luff you may, Bob, and
 
 252 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 let's heave the craft to, and finish the job for 
 
 them." 
 
 As I said this, Bob put bis helm down, whilst I 
 hauled the- jib sheet to windward, and then I 
 sprang aft again to the gun. 
 
 By this time they had taken to their oars again, 
 but there, were only two of them pulling : a sure 
 indication of the extent to which our last shot had 
 told. They were turning the boat round to pull 
 back to the ship, and seeing this I felt some 
 compunction about firing on them again, and 
 said so. 
 
 " Don't be such a soft-hearted donkey, Harry, 
 lad," retorted Bob. "Settle the whole lot if you 
 can, boy ; it'll only be so many skulking cut- 
 throats the- less in tin- world. My idee is that 
 every one of them chaps as we can finish of I is 
 one honest man's life saved ; so give 'em another 
 of them shells, my boy. They do seem wonder- 
 ful persuaders, small as they be." 
 
 I accordingly loaded again, and fired ; but, 
 probably from excitement, tired too high, and the 
 missile flew harmlessly over the boat. 
 
 The next time 1 was more careful, aiming with
 
 Chased by Pirates. 253 
 
 the utmost deliberation. At length I pulled the 
 trigger-line, and immediately leapt to my feet to 
 watch for the result. 
 
 The shell struck the boat's stern fairly amid- 
 ships, and close to the water-line ; there was an 
 explosion, but both the oarsmen appeared to be 
 unhurt. Almost immediately, however, one of 
 them sprang aft and crouched down, doing some- 
 thing that we could not make out. 
 
 I took the glass, and then saw that a large gap 
 had been made by the explosion of the shell, 
 through which the water was doubtless pouring 
 rapidly. 
 
 There was a movement among the wounded 
 men ; and one man jumped upon a thwart and 
 waved his hat to the brig, evidently as a signal 
 of distress. Her captain had of course been 
 watching us all this time, and seemed to have 
 conjectured that his people were getting the 
 worst of it, for we now saw that he had a second 
 boat in the water ; and on taking a look at the 
 brie through the orlass, we observed that he had 
 a tackle on his main yard-arm, with which he was 
 hoisting out a gun to put into the boat.
 
 254 The Secret of tJic Sands. 
 
 •■ It is time we were off once more, Bob," I 
 remarked, as soon as I saw this; "so another 
 shot at our friends here, and then we'll I ill 
 away." 
 
 The boat was very much disabled, and 
 appeared to be sinking gradually, notwithstanding 
 their efforts to keep her afloat, for they were now 
 baling rapidly ; but I thought it best to make 
 sure of her, so once more loaded and fired. 
 
 The shell passed through her stern this time 
 also, and exploded ; there was a shrill scream from 
 more than one agonised throat, and the baling and 
 pulling ceased altogether; every man in her was 
 wounded, if not killed outright. 
 
 Satisfied with our work of destruction, and not 
 particularly caring to expose ourselves to the fire 
 of the gun in the other boat, which was no doubt 
 much heavier than our own toy of a weapon, we 
 filled away ; and I once more swayed up the 
 spinnaker forward, desiring Bob to keep just 
 sufficiently away to permit of our balloon canvas 
 full)- drawing, hut no more. 
 
 As soon as I had got the spinnaker set, I took 
 the glass and had a good look at the boat we had
 
 Chased by Pirates. 255 
 
 beaten off. She was nearly full of water, her 
 gunwale being but an inch or two above the 
 surface. 
 
 I saw three or four figures rouse themselves 
 on board her, and recommence baling feebly ; but 
 their efforts were useless ; she sank lower and 
 lower, and at length rolled heavily bottom 
 upwards, throwing her wounded crew into the 
 water. 
 
 Almost immediately there was a furious splash- 
 ing, and by the aid of the glass I distinctly saw 
 the dorsal fins of several sharks darting here and 
 there among them, whilst over the glassy surface 
 of the water a shriek or two came faintly to- 
 wards us. 
 
 In less than a minute all was over with the 
 miserable wretches ; the voracious sharks made 
 short work of it with them, tearing living and 
 dead alike to pieces in their eagerness to obtain 
 a share of the prey. 
 
 At the moment that this tragic scene was 
 enacting, the second boat was about half-way 
 between the brig and those to whose assistance 
 she was hastening ; and her crew had a nearer
 
 256 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 and more distinct view of the horrible details of 
 the catastrophe than we had. 
 
 They paused for a moment on their oars as 
 though paralysed with horror; and then with a 
 vengeful shout gave way more energetically than 
 before. 
 
 But I felt little apprehension on their account ; 
 the dying breeze had revived somewhat, and the 
 Lily was now stealing along, though with scarcely 
 a ripple at her sharp bows, about five knots ; and 
 the water looked rather darker to windward, as 
 though the wind was inclined to come still 
 stronger. 
 
 The pirates tugged at their oars with might 
 and main, passing within oar's length of the 
 wreck of the first boat, when they again raised a 
 furious yell, straining away at their stout ash 
 blades until they made them bend like willow 
 wands. 
 
 They gained on us considerably within the first 
 ten minutes or quarter of an hour ; and I saw 
 some of the crew preparing to fire the gun which 
 was mounted in the boat's bows. Judging that 
 more powder would have to be burned after all,
 
 Chased by Pirates. 257 
 
 I once more loaded our little piece, charging with 
 shell as before ; and whilst I was doing this our 
 pursuers opened fire upon us. 
 
 They miscalculated their distance, however, or 
 the powers of their gun ; for the shot fell con- 
 siderably short of us, much to Bob's delight, to 
 which he gave expression by the utterance of a 
 few remarks of such biting sarcasm and raillery 
 that they would infallibly have still further 
 incensed the individuals to whom they were 
 addressed could they but have heard them. 
 
 I too was very glad to see the shot fall short, 
 for it placed us on somewhat more equal terms 
 than I had dared to hope. The boat was a 
 large one, probably their launch, and pulled ten 
 oars ; and there were three men in the bows 
 working the gun, and the coxswain aft steering, 
 making altogether fourteen hands — very heavy 
 odds. 
 
 But then, on the other hand, the boat was 
 heavy, and her crew, after their already long 
 pull, could not maintain the violent exertions 
 they were now putting forth very much longer ; 
 and a very trifling abatement in that direction 
 
 VOL. I. 17
 
 258 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 would enable us to slip away from them after all ; 
 and, moreover, as they were now within range 
 of our gun (which, being rilled, threw a shot 
 much farther than their smooth-bore), there was 
 a possibility of our being able so far to dis- 
 able them as to compel them to give up the 
 chase. 
 
 I accordingly levelled the breech-loader, and 
 then waited for a favourable opportunity to fire. 
 At length it came. The shell entered the star- 
 board bow of the pursuing boat, about midway 
 between her gunwale and her water-line ; and 
 immediately, to our great surprise, there was a 
 violent explosion on board her. 
 
 A vivid flash of flame darted upward and out- 
 ward ; the sides of the boat appeared to be 
 violently wrenched apart at their junction with 
 the stem ; the gun and its carriage rose heavily 
 in the air about ten feet, and fell with a tre- 
 mendous splash into the sea ; and oars and men 
 were flung wildly about, many of them being 
 blown fairly overboard, whilst a dense cloud of 
 smoke arose, and for a moment hid everything 
 from our view.
 
 Chased by Pirates. 259 
 
 When it cleared away, there floated the wreck 
 of the boat, just awash ; and there too, among 
 the struggling crew in the water, darted to and 
 fro the fins of the terrible sharks, very probably 
 the same monsters who had so recently feasted 
 on their shipmates. Our shell had taken most 
 fearful effect, igniting their ammunition, and 
 thus blowing their boat to pieces at our first 
 discharge. 
 
 17 — 2
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE CHASE DIVERTED. 
 
 There was an awful suddenness about the 
 destruction of this second boat and her crew 
 which almost appalled us, and it was with con- 
 siderably sobered feelings that, after a dead 
 silence of a few minutes, we proceeded to 
 discuss the character of our next move- 
 ments. 
 
 Our proper course was about north-west, that 
 being the bearing- of the point, the latitude and 
 loniritude of which had been given us as that of 
 the treasure island. 
 
 Our charts showed no island exactly at that 
 spot, but there were many at very short distances 
 from it ; indeed it was situated almost in the
 
 The Chase Diverted. 261 
 
 very heart of that extensive group of islets 
 known as the Low Archipelago ; and when 
 talking the matter over before, we had decided 
 that it was quite possible we should be obliged 
 to take a somewhat extended cruise among 
 these islands, and to examine several of them 
 before coming upon the one of which we were 
 in search. 
 
 Under these circumstances we came to the 
 conclusion that it would be unadvisable to give 
 the pirates any indication of our true desti- 
 nation by steering on our proper course as 
 long as they were in sight, for the destruction 
 of their two boats, with the loss of their crews, 
 would undoubtedly kindle such a desire for 
 vengeance in the breasts of the survivors as, in 
 all likelihood, to prompt them to go a good bit 
 out of their way, if necessary, to get it. 
 
 So, after a long debate and a careful exami- 
 nation of the chart, which I brought on deck 
 for the purpose, we decided to bear away on a 
 course as though bound to New Zealand. 
 
 This took us about a point farther off the 
 wind than we had been steering for the last
 
 262 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 few hours ; but we did not trouble much about 
 that, as we hoped to give the brig the slip some 
 time during the ensuing night. 
 
 Accordingly we bore away upon the course 
 decided on ; the sails were trimmed with the 
 utmost nicety, and then, it being about the 
 time for our evening meal, I took the tiller, 
 while Bob went below to look after the 
 kettle. 
 
 The brig was by this time about six or seven 
 miles astern of us, and was steering directly after 
 us, with apparently every stitch of canvas set 
 that would draw. I lashed the tiller for a 
 moment, and jumped down below for my sex- 
 tant, with which I returned to the deck, and 
 carefully set him by it, with the view of ascer- 
 taining just before dark whether he had gained 
 anything on us, or we on him, in the in- 
 terim. 
 
 Tea being ready, Bob served it on deck ; and 
 whilst we leisurely discussed the meal, we talked 
 over our chances of dodging our pursuer during 
 the night. 
 
 Unfortunately, these new appeared to be rather
 
 The Chase Diverted. 263 
 
 slender ; for there was not a cloud to be seen, and 
 the moon, well advanced in her second quarter, 
 was already visible in the deep sapphire of the. 
 eastern sky ere the west had well begun to glow 
 with the rich warm hues of sunset. And to add 
 to our difficulty in this respect, the wind again fell 
 lighter, and ere long died completely away. 
 
 The sun went down in calm and cloudless 
 splendour ; the golden glories of the west deep- 
 ened into rich crimson, then faded into purple, 
 and from purple into warm grey ; the brief twi- 
 light quickly deepened into night, and the moon, 
 " sweet regent of the sky," shed her soft silvery 
 beams abroad over the tranquil ocean ; while the 
 larger stars added their mellow radiance to beau- 
 tify the scene. 
 
 There was not the faintest breath of wind to 
 ruffle the mirror-like surface of the long glassy 
 swells as they undulated sluggishly beneath us ; 
 and the flap of our canvas, the pattering of the 
 reef-points, the creaking of the main-boom, and 
 the occasional "cheep, cheep" of the rudder upon 
 its pintles, served but to mark and emphasise the 
 deep calm of sleeping Nature.
 
 264 The Scc7'd of the Sands. 
 
 It was a glorious nitjht — a night of such ex- 
 quisite loveliness as is perhaps never witnessed 
 
 except when far away from land ; but, situated as 
 we were, greatly as we admired its beauty, we 
 would rather have witnessed a sky traversed by 
 fast-living clouds, and would gladly have exchanged 
 the tender silence which brooded around us for 
 the sin^inir of the wind through our rigging 
 and the hissing sound of the rapidly following 
 surges. 
 
 We walked fore and aft on our short deck, one 
 on each side, smoking our pipes and whistling for 
 a breeze, and pausing occasionally to listen for the 
 roll of oars in their rowlocks, or their plash in the 
 water ; for we did not know what new trick our 
 neighbour astern might feel disposed to play us, 
 though we both thought it improbable he would 
 send another boat away — at all events, whilst we 
 maintained our present distance; from him. 
 
 He was distinctly visible in the bright moon- 
 light, and of course we kept a watchful eye upon 
 him ; but we could detect no signs aboard of him 
 to give us any uneasiness. 
 
 At length, just about eight bells, as Bob was
 
 The Chase Diverted. 265 
 
 preparing to go below, I noticed that the shimmer 
 of the moonbeams, which had hitherto played in 
 but a few waverine streaks over the surface of the 
 water close to us, was now revealing itself on the 
 horizon, spreading gradually abroad on each side 
 of the point at which it had first appeared, and 
 slowly advancing over the surface of the ocean 
 towards us. 
 
 "Here comes the breeze, Bob!" I exclaimed. 
 " Stay on deck a few minutes longer until we can 
 see what is to be the order of the night. See, 
 there it comes, away out from the eastward ; and 
 the brig is already squaring away his yards, as 
 though he felt the first faint puffs. Ay," continued 
 I, as I took a look at him through the glass, 
 "there go his stunsail-booms, and there go his 
 stunsails to boot. Now the rascal will run down 
 to us with the first of the breeze, and perhaps 
 have us under his o-uns before we can catch a 
 breath of it. Cast loose this spinnaker-boom, old 
 man, and let's get it rigged out and the sail set in 
 readiness for the breeze when it comes. If we 
 can only get it before he comes within range of 
 us, I believe we can walk away from him even in
 
 266 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 a run to leeward, provided we don't have the 
 breeze too strong." 
 
 We worked with ;i will, the reader maybe sure, 
 and soon had the huge sail set on the starboard 
 side, whilst the main-boom was guyed out to 
 port. 
 
 We then went all round the deck, taking a pull 
 at the halliards where necessary ; and then, though 
 a heavy dew was falling, we got up a small hand- 
 pump and some hose we had provided ourselves 
 with, and gave the sails a thorough wetting. 
 
 The brig ran down to within about a couple of 
 miles of us before the first faint cat's-paws came 
 stealing over the water towards us ; then the bal- 
 loon-topsail filled, collapsed, and filled again, the 
 spinnaker ceased its rustle, and there was a gentle 
 surge as the light strain first came upon the spars 
 and ri' r, 'inij- ; the tiller began to vibrate beneath 
 my hand, a long ripple spread itself out from each 
 bow, and the Water Lily began once more to slip 
 gaily away. 
 
 I got Bob to give a look to our preventers, in 
 case it should become a matter of sheer carrying 
 on, and then sent him below, as it had been a
 
 The Chase Diverted. 267 
 
 day of excitement for him, and, consequently, of 
 fatigue. 
 
 The breeze gradually freshened, the water hissed 
 and sparkled away from our sharp bows, and the 
 swirling eddies in our wake told a cheering tale as 
 to the speed with which we were flying over the 
 surface of the now crisply-ruffled ocean ; and be- 
 fore my watch was out, I had the satisfaction of 
 seeing that we were certainly drawing away from 
 our persevering enemy, the broad, flat model of 
 the Lily being as favourable to her sailing powers 
 before the wind as her deep keel was when close- 
 hauled. 
 
 I called Bob at midnight, and strictly cautioned 
 him to give me timely notice if the breeze fresh- 
 ened sufficiently to necessitate a reduction of 
 canvas, or if anything occurred rendering my pre- 
 sence on deck desirable ; and then I dived below, 
 flung off my clothes, and tumbled into my ham- 
 mock, and " in the twinkling of a purser's lantern" 
 was fast asleep. 
 
 When I went on deck again at four o'clock I 
 found that the breeze had freshened very con- 
 siderably during my watch below, and under other
 
 268 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 circumstances I should most certainly have taken 
 ill the spinnaker and shifted topsails; but though 
 we had dropped die brig considerably, he still 
 
 hung most pertinaciously in our wake, so there 
 was nothing for it but still to carry on. 
 
 The craft must have been a splendid sailer, for, 
 though by this time we were going close upon six- 
 teen knots, we had not increased our distance 
 from her much more than four miles during the 
 time I had been below. 
 
 Nothing worthy of note occurred during my 
 watch. The wind appeared to have reached the 
 limits of its strength, and now blew steadily, with 
 sufficient force to try our spars and gear to their 
 utmost, but not quite strong enough to carry any- 
 thing away, and we continued to increase out- 
 distance from the brier. 
 
 At seven bells I called Bob, who set about the 
 preparations for breakfast, and great were our 
 mutual congratulations over that meal at the now 
 thoroughly-established fact that, fast as the Alba- 
 tross undoubtedly was, she was no match for the 
 little // aUr Lily in ordinary weather. 
 
 As soon as breakfast was over and the things
 
 The Chase Diverted. 269 
 
 cleared away, I got an observation for the longi- 
 tude, and then went below to have a nap, desiring 
 Bob to call me at seven bells, that I might take a 
 meridian altitude. 
 
 He did so, and as soon as I came on deck with 
 my sextant, he said, " Look there, Harry, what 
 d'ye think of that ? I wouldn't call ye when I 
 first made 'em out, as it only wanted half an hour 
 to seven bells, and I knowed you'd feel a bit 
 tired after yesterday. But airit it a wonderful 
 sio^ht ?" 
 
 As he spoke he pointed away to a little on our 
 starboard bow, and stooping down in order to see 
 under the foot of the spinnaker, I there beheld 
 what was indeed to me a wonderful sight. Away 
 nearly as far as we could see, upon the verge of 
 the horizon, appeared a vast herd or "school" of 
 whales, spouting in all directions and indulging in 
 the most extraordinary gambols, each apparently 
 striving to outvie the others in the feat of leaping 
 entirely out of the water. 
 
 I am afraid to make anything like a positive 
 statement as to the heights achieved by some of 
 the monsters, but it really appeared to me that a
 
 270 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 few of them rose nearly, if not quite, five and 
 twenty feet into the air, descending- again with a 
 splash which reminded me of some of the torpedo 
 experiments I had witnessed when staying for a 
 few days at Portsmouth. 
 
 I was careful to get my observation, which I 
 rapidly worked out, and entered in the log ; after 
 which I relieved Bob at the tiller, whilst he went 
 below to see to the dinner. 
 
 As he descended the short companion-ladder 
 he turned round and observed with a comical 
 look, " I say, Harry, I hope there ain't no stray 
 sarpents knocking about in this here neighbour- 
 hood ; 'twould be uncommon awk'ard for us to 
 have one of they chaps waiting for us ahead and 
 that infarnal brig still in sight astarn." 
 
 Just as dinner made its appearance I descried a 
 sail about two points on our starboard bow. It 
 was a vessel under single-reefed topsails, heading 
 to the southward, and consequently standing 
 across our bows. 
 
 She was too far off for us to make out anything 
 but the heads of her sails from the deck, but as 
 soon as I saw her I resigned the tiller to Bob and
 
 The CJiase Diverted. 271 
 
 went up as far as the crosstrees to have a better 
 look at her. 
 
 From thence I made her out to be a barque 
 apparently close hauled on the port tack ; but 
 of what nationality she might be we were yet 
 too far distant from her to decide, though I 
 thought from the cut of her sails that she was 
 English. 
 
 I was still standing upon the crosstrees, shout- 
 ing my observations to Bob, when I noticed a 
 commotion amongst the herd of whales, which we 
 were by this time fast nearing, and bringing my 
 glass to bear, I at length made out three boats 
 pulling towards them. 
 
 The whales were evidently rather doubtful as to 
 the intentions of these boats, though we were not. 
 We saw at once that the stranger was a whaler, 
 and that these were her boats despatched in 
 chase. 
 
 The whales came swimming leisurely to wind- 
 ward with the boats in hot pursuit. What to do 
 was now the question with us. We ought most 
 certainly to advise the whalers of the character of 
 the brig, but it would never do to shorten sail
 
 2 ;2 7/"- Secret of the Sanas. 
 
 and deviate anything considerable from our course 
 with this object. 
 
 We should very probably be taken before we 
 could accomplish our purpose, and in that event 
 we should sacrifice ourselves without doing the 
 others any good. However, as a preliminary, we 
 displayed our ensign, and as the boats were 
 coming almost directly towards us, I sheered suffi- 
 ciently out of our course to pass within hail of the 
 
 leader. 
 
 We wen; now running through the very 
 thickest of the herd, and it was rather nervous 
 work, for with a single lash of its mighty tail any 
 one of the monsters might have destroyed us; 
 and with such a cloud of canvas as we were 
 carrying the deviations from our course which we 
 dared to make wen- very trifling. 
 
 Had we luffed, for example, high enough for 
 our spinnaker to jibe, the craft would probably 
 have "turned the turtle" with us; or. if we 
 had proved fortunate enough to escape this, we 
 should most certainly have made a clean sweep 
 of the spars. 
 
 We were almost within hail of the leading
 
 The Chase Diverted. 273 
 
 boat when she fastened to an enormous whale. 
 The creature dived instantly, taking- out line at a 
 tremendous rate, but still continuing on its orioinal 
 course. 
 
 This brought the boat close past us on our 
 starboard side, the crew sitting with their oars 
 apeak, and the water foaming a good foot above 
 the level of the boat's bows as she was towed 
 furiously along. 
 
 I took the trumpet in my hand, and as she 
 dashed past, I hailed, " The brig astern is a 
 pirate ; cut adrift and rejoin your ship as soon as 
 possible." 
 
 The boat-steerer waved his hand, but they 
 made no attempt to free themselves from the 
 whale, and I feared they had not clearly under- 
 stood me ; though I saw the men turning to 
 each other as though comparing notes on the 
 communication I had made, and the boat-steerer 
 shaded his eyes with his hand as he took a 
 hasty look at the rapidly approaching brig. 
 
 The two other boats, meanwhile, were pulling 
 away to the southward in pursuit of a couple of 
 gigantic whales which had ' separated from the 
 
 vol. 1. 18
 
 274 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 rest of the herd, and which, from the pace at 
 which they were travelling, seemed likely to 
 lead their pursuers a pretty dance. It was 
 quite out of our power to convey any warning 
 to those, and I was most reluctantly compelled 
 to stand on upon our original course, or dead to 
 leeward. 
 
 Presently the whale which was struck turned 
 sharp round, and came tearing back over the 
 ground he had just traversed. I felt more 
 than half inclined to take as broad a sheer as 
 I dared out of his way ; I did not at all like; 
 the look of him as he came foaming down 
 towards us. 
 
 But the desire to repeat my warning was 
 stronger even than my fear of the whale ; and, 
 watching him narrowly as he came up, I directed 
 Bob how to steer, and the instant he was past, 
 us, Bob eased down the helm, and we sheered 
 towards the boat he had in tow. 
 
 I stood by with the trumpet as before, but it 
 was unnecessary, for as they came alongside, 
 the boat-steerer sheered our way. whilst the crew 
 rapidly paid out line, by which means the whale-
 
 The Chase Diverted. 275 
 
 boat's speed was so reduced that we had time to 
 communicate before she passed ahead. 
 
 "Cutter ahoy!" hailed the boat-steerer as we 
 rushed along within twenty feet of each other ; 
 " what was that you said just now ?" 
 
 " The brig astern of us is a pirate," I replied ; 
 "she fired upon us yesterday at midday, and 
 has been in chase ever since. I would advise 
 you to rejoin your ship before she comes up if 
 possible. Your skipper will need all his hands on 
 board if she ranges alongside." 
 
 "The devil!" ejaculated he in reply. "You 
 don't seem hit anywhere," glancing aloft at our 
 taper spars and snowy canvas, which showed 
 no wounds or shot-holes to vouch for the truth 
 of my statement. 
 
 "No," answered I ; "he only had time to fire 
 five shots at us before we slipped past him to 
 
 I 
 
 windward, and we escaped untouched." 
 
 "Hang it!" he exclaimed, in a tone of vexa- 
 tion ; "I don't like to lose this fine fish that 
 we're fast to ; but we shall have to let him go, 
 no doubt of that ; but how the devil am I to re- 
 call the other boats ?" 
 
 18—2
 
 276 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 " I will fin: our gun to attract their attention/' 
 I replied, "and you can make any signal you think 
 most likely to effect your object." 
 
 " Thank ee," returned he ; "I shall be obliged 
 if you will." 
 
 And then he signalled to the men who had 
 charge of the line, and they gradually reduced 
 the speed at which it ran out, and finally held 
 all fast with an extra turn round the bollard, and 
 away the boat dashed once more. 
 
 I charged the gun (which still remained 
 mounted on deck) with a blank cartridge, and 
 duly greasing the muzzle to increase the report, 
 fired. The crew of the whale-boat tossed their 
 oars on end, and kept them so for a few minutes, 
 or until it was seen that the other boats had 
 abandoned the chase, and were pulling back 
 toward them. 
 
 The crew of the boat which was fast to the 
 whale were knowing enough not to cut themselves 
 adrift so long as their prize towed them in the 
 direction they wished to go ; and, as he seemed 
 to have started for a regular long run to leeward.
 
 The Chase Diverted. 277 
 
 they appeared to stand a very fair chance of 
 being towed almost alongside their ship. 
 
 She had been making short stretches to wind- 
 ward ever since we first sighted her, and we 
 were by this time within a couple of miles of 
 her. From her motions we judged that the 
 people left on board to work her had heard the 
 report of our gun, and had witnessed the re- 
 call of the other two boats, and perhaps sus- 
 pected that something was wrong somewhere, 
 for she was now plainly manoeuvring to close 
 with all three of the boats as quickly as pos- 
 sible. 
 
 The whale, meanwhile, had been running in 
 such a direction as to cross the barque's bows 
 about a quarter of a mile distant, and he ac- 
 tually ran far enough to enable the crew of the 
 boat which had fastened to him to cut them- 
 selves adrift when fairly in their ship's course ; 
 so that, in a very few minutes after the stroke 
 of the keen tomahawk had severed their tow- 
 line, they were alongside, and the boat was run 
 up to the davits.
 
 2/8 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 So smart were the crew of the: whaler in 
 picking up their boat, that they must have swung 
 their mainyard the moment the frail craft was 
 hooked on, without waiting until she was actually 
 hoisted up. 
 
 The barque had scarcely begun to gather way 
 before the hands were in her rigging, and next 
 moment they were laying out on both topsail- 
 yards and turning out the reefs ; although the 
 breeze was so strong that, half-loaded as she 
 was, she was careening almost gunwale to. 
 
 We passed close under her stern ; and her 
 skipper, as we drew near, walked aft to the taffrail 
 and hailed us. 
 
 "Thank you, sir, for your information; 
 please report us and this circumstance; God 
 knows whether we shall escape the rascals or 
 no." 
 
 I waved my hand, to signify that I understood 
 and would comply with his request ; noting, as I 
 did so, the name and the port of registry oi the 
 vessel, which were painted on her stern in white 
 letters : " The Kingfisher^ of Hull."
 
 The Chase Diverted. 279 
 
 Scarcely were we past her, when we saw a small 
 red flag go fluttering up to her main-topgallant- 
 masthead ; a signal, as we supposed, to hurry 
 the other boats back. The poor fellows were 
 awkwardly situated. 
 
 Had they been hull-down to the northward or 
 the southward, the pirates might possibly, in the 
 eagerness of their desire for vengeance upon us, 
 have allowed her to pass on unmolested ; but now 
 that the barque lay almost directly within their 
 path, we dared not hope for any such display of 
 forbearance. 
 
 There were many stores on board a well- 
 found whaler which would be most useful to 
 men situated like the desperadoes on board the 
 brig ; and they would scarcely forego the oppor- 
 tunity of making the acquisition for the sake of 
 continuing to chase a craft which was indubitably 
 walking away from them fast, and which must 
 run them out of si^ht altogether in a few hours 
 more, unless some accident occurred to place her 
 within their power. 
 
 We watched the proceedings of the two vessels
 
 280 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 with the most absorbing interest, as may well be 
 supposed. The Lttywas very quickly far enough 
 to leeward of the barque to enable us to sec the 
 two boats clear of his bow; and we noticed that 
 their crews were pulling with might and main. 
 
 But in about ten minutes' time they were once 
 more shut in by the intervention of their vessel's 
 hull between us and them ; and before they could 
 open out astern of her, the barque went in stays, 
 having apparently stood on far enough to fetch 
 her boats on the next tack. 
 
 The brig had in the: interim run down to within 
 about four miles of the whaler, and was still flying 
 along, dead before the: wind, with everything set, 
 up to topgallant stunsails on both sides ; and no 
 sign had so far revealed itself on board her by 
 which we could judge of the intention of her 
 crew. 
 
 By the time that she had run another mile, we 
 saw the whaler's main-yard once more thrown 
 aback ; an indication that she was about to pick 
 up her other two boats ; and there now appeared 
 to be a strong probability that she would have
 
 . The Chase Diverted. 281 
 
 time to hoist them in and be off again, before the 
 pirate could approach her within gun-shot. 
 
 The situation became eminently exciting ; and 
 so anxious was I that the whaler should have 
 every chance of making her escape, that I 
 directed Bob to let go our spinnaker out-haul, 
 and allow the traveller to run in along the boom, 
 in the hope that, by leading the pirates to believe 
 it had become necessary for us to shorten sail, 
 they might be tempted, after all, to keep on in 
 chase of us, instead of interfering with the barque. 
 
 It would have afforded us almost unmitigated 
 satisfaction to have seen them continue the chase, 
 for we now felt perfectly satisfied that in moderate 
 weather we had the heels of the Albatross, both 
 close-hauled and running free, and could we 
 succeed in decoying them far enough to lee- 
 ward to permit of the whaler making good his 
 escape, I was willing to trust to the future for the 
 means of ultimately shaking our vindictive pursuer 
 off. 
 
 In further prosecution of this project, as soon 
 as Bob had got the spinnaker in, I lashed the
 
 282 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 tiller for a moment and jumped forward to assist 
 him in getting in our enormous balloon topsail, 
 which I foresaw would have to be taken off the 
 craft shortly if we wished to save the topmast, the 
 wind being rather on the increase and our rigging 
 already strained to the tension of harp-strings. 
 This done, we found time to take another look at 
 the whaler. 
 
 His main-yard was just swinging as we turned 
 our glances in his direction, and then his bows fell 
 off until he headed about north-west ; his men 
 springing into the rigging and scurrying away 
 aloft to loose topgallant-sails ; one hand meantime 
 laying out on the jibboom to loose the flying- 
 jib. 
 
 Away went the jolly old craft in magnificent 
 style, heading about north-west, and evidently 
 upon her best point of sailing. She crossed our 
 stern, shutting out the pirate brig for a moment, 
 and we fully expected that when that craft next 
 appeared we should sec her hauled up in chase ; 
 but nothing of the kind ; on she: came, still heading 
 direct for us, and I began to hope that our plan
 
 The Chase Diverted. 283 
 
 of luring her on to follow us was about to prove 
 successful. 
 
 Two or three minutes, which seemed like ages 
 to us, elapsed ; and then, all in a moment, his 
 stunsails (or studding-sails, as I ought more cor- 
 rectly to spell the word) collapsed, and fluttered 
 wildly for a few seconds in the breeze, and dis- 
 appeared ; his royal-halliards were let go, and the 
 sails rolled up and furled ; and as he hauled up 
 to follow the barque, his foresail lifted and there 
 was a flash, a puff of white smoke, and before the 
 report had time to drive down to us we saw the 
 shot skipping along from wave to wave, as a 
 polite intimation to the barque to heave to. 
 
 But the whaling skipper was not the man to 
 give up without a struggle. He had no studding- 
 sails, but he was heading in such a direction that 
 the brig could not use hers while following him, 
 and it seemed that he trusted to his light trim to 
 enable him to get clear. 
 
 Gun after gun was now rapidly fired by the 
 pirates, but they were not yet within range, 
 though it was only too evident that they would be
 
 2S4 The Sard oj tJic Sands. 
 
 before very long, and I greatly feared that the 
 
 barque's chances of escape were: remarkably small. 
 
 In about an hour they both disappeared in the 
 
 north-western board ; but, when last seen, the 
 
 barque was still carrying on, with the pirate bang- 
 ing away at her most perseveringly with his long 
 
 gun. 
 
 o 
 
 •' Thank goodness, we're shut of the blackguards 
 at last !" exclaimed Bob, as the sails of the two 
 craft sank below the horizon ; "though I'mduberous 
 it's a poor look-out for them whalin 1 chaps. If 
 the poor beggars gets caught, it's small marcy as 
 they'll have showed 'em, unless there's any on 'em 
 white-livered enough to iine the brig to save their 
 lives. Skipper Johnson won't be partie'lar amiable, 
 I reckon, a'ter the loss of his two boats' crews 
 yesterday — two-and-twenty hands, all told ; and I 
 don't suppose as he's the man to mind much who 
 he has his revenge upon, so long's \xtgets it. Hut 
 what's to be our next move, lad, now we're once 
 more all alone by ourselves ?" 
 
 " I've been thinking about thai," 1 replied. " I 
 do not expect the pirates will trouble their heads
 
 The Chase Diverted. 285 
 
 about us any more, now that they have lost sight 
 of us ; but they may, and it will be just as well to 
 provide against any such contingency. If they re- 
 sume the chase, they will most probably look for 
 us somewhere on the course we were steering- 
 when last seen, or else to the northward. There 
 is nothing to take us to the southward, so that is 
 the most improbable direction, in my opinion, in 
 which they are likely to look for us ; and that, 
 therefore, is the direction in which I propose to 
 steer. Let us make the craft snug, and stand 
 away to the southward and eastward, full and by, 
 and at eight o'clock to-morrow morning we will go 
 about and make a leg to the northward and east- 
 ward for perhaps twenty-four hours. This will 
 place us well to windward, and in about the last 
 spot in the world where he would think of looking 
 for us. What do you think of the plan, Bob ?" 
 
 " Fust rate," responded that worthy ; " a reg'lar 
 traverse, and about the most in-artd-out bit of car- 
 cumvention as the ingenuity o' man could invent. 
 Let's set about it at once, my lad ; and by the 
 time as we've cleared up a bit, and made things
 
 2S6 The Secret of the Sands. 
 
 comfortable, it'll be time to see about gettin' 
 tea. 
 
 We accordingly set about " making things com- 
 fortable" forthwith. The balloon-topsail was care- 
 fully rolled up and put away, the spinnaker (which 
 we had only allowed to run in close to the mast, 
 and had hastily secured with a stop or two) ditto, 
 and our topmast housed ; the spinnaker-boom was 
 run in, unrigged, and secured, and we then gibed 
 the mainsail over, and stood away, close-hauled, 
 about south-east, the little Lily staggering along 
 in regular racing style under whole lower canvas, 
 when by rights, with the amount of wind we had, 
 Ave ought to have had at least one reef down, and 
 the No. i jib shifted for No. 2. 
 
 However, we were used to carrying on by this 
 time, and had become so thoroughly intimate with 
 the cutter's sail-carrying powers that we knew we 
 might safely give her all the canvas her spars 
 would bear. 
 
 By the time that all was done, and our gun 
 (which we did not think it worth while to dis- 
 mount and stow away again for the present) care-
 
 The Chase Diverted. 287 
 
 fully covered over with its painted canvas coat, 
 the sun was on the verge of the horizon, the 
 weather having a settled appearance, with a pro- 
 mise of the breeze holding good through the 
 night. 
 
 END of vol. 1. 
 
 BILLING AND SONS, PRINTERS, GUILDFORD, SURREY.

 
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