Part 22 (1/2)

The day at length dawned, and a beautiful freshit was A breeze which in a shi+p would have been only sufficient to fill all her sails, was to the small boats too much to be pleasant or safe Still by the aid of repeated baling, they were kept con of a vessel, however, appeared, and it approached noon, when the lieutenant, arranging his sextant, prepared to find out where he was

After waiting several th satisfied that he had obtained the sun'sfrom this deduced the latitude, he announced that the boat was not h what part of the land she was opposite he could not exactly tell ”My chrono about in the boat ht, I fancy we are actually west of the Cape; and this is possible, if the current has been very strong”

During the day the breeze soain nearly calm The direction in which he was to steer was now a matter of considerable uncertainty to the lieutenant: whether he should place any trust in his chrono to what he believed his true course Considering the rough use to which his chronometer had been subjected, he decided that he would steer a westerly course, keeping a little north, so as to make the Cape, and thus reach Si up fro nearly favourable, a small sail was set on each boat, and they by this aid dashed ht the as not too strong for the boats to carry a sail, but it afterwards caer possible to do so The sea, however, was not, even with this breeze, nearly so dangerous as it had been when the wind and current had been opposed to each other; and though it was necessary to keep the boats before the wind, yet both were comparatively dry

”If this wind lasts,” said the lieutenant to Hans, ”we shall be carried far past the Cape, and how to regain it I don't know, for we shall have the current dead against us, and we have neither water nor provisions for a long voyage There is only one cask of water, and the biscuit is, I fear, ith salt water, so that our provisions are short; but there is no help for us; weas this wind and this sea last, and trust to being picked up, though I believe wethe whole of the night the boats kept a westerly course, and before the wind Asdawned, the horizon was anxiously scanned in order to find a shi+p, but the ocean seens of a vessel The officer again tried to find his latitude, and decided that he was still upwards of twenty miles south of the Cape Fro, he also concluded that, allowing every likely error for the chronorees west of the Cape, and was drifting rapidly ard

Having conalled for the second boat to coside, when he said--

”Now, my lads, we have drifted so far from the Cape that I fear with these small boats, and such a sea as we may have to meet, we can't reach the Cape before our provisions and water are all done We have, then, two chances: wepicked up by a vessel, or we can run on with all speed, and try to make soet water on those islands, but we may do so, and I believe they have no inhabitants As this is a question you are all concerned in, I'll hear what you have to say”

The sailors talked a thee of the second boat, said--

”We think, sir, that we should hting a shi+p by doing so, though it be a bit away froo down in these cockle-shells, and that's all about it I have heerd from whalers that there is water in soet a bit of a rest, and with our boats we can go out and look for shi+ps when the weather suits We think, sir, that's our best chance”

”I am of the sa to say?”

”We all think that's our best chance, sir,” said several of the men

”Give way then, ht not to be uns, and so ought to be able to get birds or seals; and if we can only find water, we et on well”

The north-east wind, which assumes almost the character of a trade wind off the Cape, and which blows soether, continued steadily for the next two days; and the boats during part of the tih the water, so that on the erly on the look out for land

It was about ten o'clock in thethat Jones, in the second boat, called the lieutenant's attention to what he thought was land about south-west of the used to discover what this was, revealed the fact of land, which was rather low, and was estimated at notbeen altered to enable them to make direct for this land or island, as it was known ithis boat close, in order to tell him what should be now done

”I'll take the lead, Jones, and weup in each boat to look out for broken water I think it will be better to go to the leeward of the island, and land there, unless we can see some kind of a bay Don't you follow too close, for in case we strike a rock, or are swah off not to fall in the same way”

”I've heerd, sir,” replied Jones, ”that these islands are surrounded by long sea-weeds that ation rather difficult; but if you knohere the channel is, then you are all right, as weeds and rocks don't come near the surface there”

As the boats neared the island, the lieutenant used his telescope in the endeavour to discover if any shi+ps were there, for he believed it possible that whalers ht have made use of this island, as afterwards he found had been the case The wind seemed to have blown itself out towards mid-day, and shortly after it fell quite calm, and as the boats neared the island, the sea had considerably di within about a an to be sprinkled with sea-weed in abundance, which was so fro slowly and cautiously, the lieutenant directed the h thick masses of weed, approached sufficiently close to the shore to see where the surf was breaking Having noted a headland jutting out into the sea, the sailor, froeneral form of coasts, concluded that behind this he would very probably find a bay, and such proved to be the case

This bay was covered at the water-line with a white sand, up which the waves washed; but there seen of rocks near this, and thus it appeared in every way suitable for a landing Steering the boat carefully round the pro his opportunity ran the boat up, so that as the sailors juh and dry as the waves receded The second boat, being thus guided, followed the example of the leader, and was also securely beached, the s oncecramped on board their small boats for so many days

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

GAME FOUND ON THE ISLANDS--WANT OF WATER--WATER AT LAST--SEA-LIONS--FISH AND EGGS--A shi+P--RESCUED AND CARRIED TO SIMON'S BAY--THE TRAVELLER AMONG THE cockNEYS

”Carry the boats up high and dry,” said the lieutenant; ”out with the sails and oars; cover theet out the water casks and biscuit bag Let's see what provisions we have”

These orders were rapidly obeyed by the sailors, who never for a h they were on board shi+p The water was found to be very low, there being scarcely more than two pints for each man At this all looked blank, for so essential is water that it is a reatdivided the biscuit into as ave each his share, saying, ”We shall be able to keep this biscuit for any voyage we et birds We can shoot as many birds as we require for food, so be careful of the biscuit” Whilst these arrange the shore, looking at the ground in various directions, and pointing out to each other so to Hans, who alone understood their language, they said, ”_Ae footprints there”)

”Of what?” inquired Hans

”We don't know,” replied the Zulus ”The game lives in the water that uided by the Zulus, went to the shore where the footprints were visible, and there saw a spoor which to hie animal were to be seen, and near these soh an arc of a circle had been traced with an instruh well acquainted with the spoor of all South African animals, yet Hans could not remember any similar to this The Zulus, however, with a quickness of perception often possessed by semi-wild men, pointed out to Hans that there were only marks of two feet, then that the circular scrapes were marked over these footmarks