es are so much younger and sharper than mine."

"None of your gammon, Joe!" cried the boy sharply, as he focussed the
glass to suit his eyes, while with one arm embracing the butt of the
main-topgallant-mast he held the tube steadily to his eye, asking for
guidance the while.

"Now then," he said; "whereabouts?"

"Right straight ahead, sir. You can't miss it if it's there, for it
stretches away as far as you like to left and right!"

"Why, there's no land, Joe."

"Not looking down low enough, sir, perhaps. It aren't right up in the
sky."

"Well, who's looking up in the sky?" cried Rodd irritably.--"I am
looking right down to the horizon line."

"Well, that's right, sir. Take a good long look. Now then, can't you
see it?"

There was silence for a few moments, and Morny, who was gazing upwards,
seemed to be all eyes and ears.

"Can't you see it, Master Rodd?" repeated Joe.

"No."

"Perhaps 'tarn't land, then, sir."

"No. It was all your fancy. There's nothing to be seen."

"Where are you looking, sir?"

"At a little low bank of pale misty cloud. That's all, Joe. Your eyes
want a good rub."

"Dessay they do, sir. They aren't much account," said the man; "but
that caps what I saw," and putting his hands to the sides of his mouth
he yelled out in stentorian tones, "Land ho!"--a signal that was
followed by the hurried shuffling sound of feet ascending to the deck.

"Here, what are you doing?" cried Rodd angrily. "Spreading a false
alarm like that!"

"Oh, it's right enough, sir."

"But there's nothing but a cloud there, Joe."

"Looks like it, sir, but land it is all the same."

"Where away?" came in the skipper's hoarse voice.

"Dead ahead, sir," replied the sailor, and Rodd steadied the glass
again, bringing it to bear upon what looked more than ever like the
faintest of faint hazes upon the surface of the distant sea.

"Can you make it out, Rodd?" cried Uncle Paul, who had hurried on deck
with the Count.

"Well, I can just see something, uncle, and I suppose it's land."

"Oh, that's right enough, my lad," cried the captain. "Can't be
anything else."

"Not clouds?"

"Ah, I don't say that," cried the skipper. "You may see a bit of haze
too, but there's solid land beneath. There, sir," continued the
skipper, "that's what we are looking for. Now the next thing we want to
see is water."

"Well, we can see that plainly enough, Joe," said Rodd, speaking with
his eyes still to the