Part 27 (1/2)

Now or never I ers to be encountered; the chances of being chased and overtaken; the savages on shore; the risk of starvation; the want of water; the current thatbefore I could gain the land I had not a moment to lose The mate remained forward; the man at the helm stood motionless, and, I hoped, was asleep

I slipped into the boat, and passing the slack of the falls under tarts, gently lowered reased the blocks

My chief fear noas, that the splash the boat wouldthe water would be heard I therefore eased aith the greatest care, and stood ready in a moment to cast off the aft-most fall I cleared it in the nick of time, and the boat was towed slowly ahead I quickly cleared the foreht splash had been made, but I hoped that if the mate heard it he would fancy that it was caused by so above the surface Without waiting to ascertain whether this was the case or not, I seized the oars and pulled rapidly away froht fro me to keep the course I desired toaccomplishedmy ears as I pulled on

As I looked up at the tall ed out, and that the shi+p was rapidly increasing her distance from me I was already a considerable way astern when I heard a loud hail I recognised the voice of the one My fear was, that another would be lowered and sent in chase of me This made me pull all the harder My only idea was, to reach shore and escape fro even for alowered I heard several other voices hail, but the shi+p stood on and gradually faded away in the gloo low in the water I could not be seen

Presently I saw the flash of a musket; then another and another; but no shots came near me, and from this I was convinced that the thirdat randoht senses the shi+p would probably have been hove-to and two boats, at least, have been sent in chase ofto on account of the reefs

He kept the shi+p, therefore, before the wind Whatever the cause, I was thankful I was not pursued, and I trusted that the breeze would blow stronger and carry the shi+p farther and farther away froht was dark, and there was aover the waters, yet I could observe overhead several stars, and as the lights from the cabin receded, I marked their position, and was thus able, with tolerable confidence, to continue my way towards the land I fancied that I should be able to reach it early in the roeary, but as long as I couldoff the land, the sea was perfectly calm Scarcely a ripple disturbed the surface I was too anxious to feel hunger or thirst At the sa escaped kept up my spirits

Under other circumstances I do not think I could have acco at the rate of four th, however, ue overcame me, and I felt that I could row no more The moment I stopped I felt very sleepy, but had sense sufficient to take in my oars and place them byto rest for a few ain to be able to pull on

As ain fast asleep My slumbers were peaceful and pleasant, rendered so, I presume, by the consciousness that I had escaped froht flashi+ng inup and found that the sun had just risen above the horizon I looked eagerly around, dreading lest I should see the shi+p near me, but to my infinite relief she was not visible, nor was the land I had expected to see and so soon to reach My little boat was the only object on the waste of waters

The coast, I kneas to the ard, and as the rising sun would guide an to roay in that direction I had not rowed long before I began to feel very hungry I therefore again laid in ht, washi+ng it doith an aht of water Then I once more turned to, but the heat soon beca at every pore Still, as long as ive in I occasionally stopped to take a pull at my water-bottle

With very little rest beside, I continued to paddle on till it was again dark This showed ht have been rowing part of the ti the coast, instead of towards it, and I supposed that the shi+p had been ined I had been in a dreamy state all day, and unable to think much This was produced by the heat which beat down on my head I felt somewhat revived as the sun set, but after a ti in my oars, I lay down to sleep

I ain woke, it was already dawn I stood up and looked about me, when to my surprise I observed soht which heralded the rising sun I must have been carried by a current inside theht increased I sahat I at first thought was theround I soon discovered it; it was not a mast, but a pole stuck in the rock with a cask or basket fixed on the top of it

This was a sign that so shore, and that they had placed that beacon to warn ers of the rock

A nu their wings in the clear water

As the sun rose, Iline to a far distance, as I concluded north and south It was now ti on the rock, for this would only cause delay I took my ham out from the stern sheets, but as I did so, the horrible odour which saluted my nostrils made me certain that it would be impossible to eat it, and, except the dry biscuits, I had no other food I ed with the aid of soht be a long tiain the shore, and even then Ifood It then occurred to me that perhaps the sea-fowl et soive me an ample supply of provisions for some time to come

As I had once upon a time lived upon raw rats, I was not very particular; and even should I not obtain any eggs, I h perhaps fishy in taste, would enable me to support existence I therefore rowed towards the rock which I saas of considerable extent, although one part only on which the beacon was placed rose a few feet above the surface

The clearness of the atmosphere had deceived me as to the distance I rowed on for some tiainst h that such was the case did not occur to me at the time

The sea-fowl shrieked loudly and wildly as I approached, as if to warn me off from their domain Some sat on the rock, others darted off and circled round and round the boat, but I was not to be deterred fro cries and ot close to the rock, and found an indentation or little bay, into which I ran h several birds appeared, I found that they wereon the rock, and that the water was too shallow to allow h to step on shore

In rew so thickly, and was so sli a treacherous foothold I should slip back into the water At last I saw a point soht I could land, and secure the boat's painter round a rough part of the coral rock I succeeded in stepping on to it andthe rope fast; and confident that she would be secure,the rock with the assistance of the boat-hook

I found neither eggs nor young birds; indeed, on exa the rock, I knew that it must be covered occasionally, if not at every tide, by the water Still I thought that I should find thely scrambled on as well as I could, but here and there I came to a lower part of the rock over which the water washed, and I saw that to reach the beacon I h it I had to proceed very cautiously, for it was full of hollows and slippery in the extreht involve serious consequences

The shriek of the birds, though it sounded rather pleasant at a distance, beca soround, that the sky which at sunrise had been bright and clear, was becoreater force than before Still, as it caht not cause such a sea as would prevent er, also, to obtain so birds to allow the subject to troubleover the rocks, hoping to find what I was in search of nearer the beacon I was by this tih up to the middle, but that did not ot on some distance without an accident, I perhaps beca from one rock to another, htthe rock with the other hand, unable to rasp, and gliding into the water was borne away fro the rock, the influence of which Iit in the boat Without the boat-hook I should find it still ; but I knew that I must not stay where I was for ever, and as soon therefore as the pain allowed me, I rose to my feet and endeavoured to continue ot that my return journey would be quite as difficult if not more so, as I should have no boat-hook, and at the sas and birds I went on and on, of course ot close to the beacon, and great wasbirds