hat in vogue among the Ladrone Islanders; that
is to say, the vessel was sailed indifferently, with either end
foremost, the sail being always kept on the same side of the mast. In
order to accomplish this two broad-bladed steering-oars were necessary--
one for each end of the craft--and a long tripping-line, with its ends
bent on to either end of the yard, hanging down in a bight on deck, so
that by its means the end of the yard which was to form the tack might
be hauled down on deck. It will be understood that when plying to
windward a craft so rigged is never thrown in stays, but when it is
necessary to go on the opposite tack her stern is thrown up to windward
by means of the steering-oar, which is then laid in; the end of the yard
which is down on deck and made fast is released, and the opposite end of
the yard is hauled down and secured; the sheet is transferred from one
end of the vessel to the other; the steering-oar at that end is laid
out; and the vessel, gathering way, moves off in the required direction.
It is probably the most simple mode of working a craft known to
navigating mankind, and it obviates all possibility of missing stays; a
difficulty which mainly induced Gaunt to adopt it on board his raft.
This was the first occasion upon which it had had a fair trial, and it
was found to answer admirably; the raft proving to be not only so stiff
as to be absolutely uncapsizable, but also remarkably fast considering
her shape, a speed of six knots being got out of her unloaded and with a
good fresh breeze blowing.

As soon as the somewhat novel mode of working her had been
satisfactorily tested, the exploration of the reef was begun in earnest.
They cruised along its inner edge to the southward in the first
instance, and discovered several places where it would probably have
been possible for them to pass out to sea; but in every case the
channels, if indeed they were worthy of the name, were so narrow and
tortuous that Gaunt had no fancy for attempting them unless as a last
resource. They next tried the northern side of the bay; and here they
were more successful, for just where the reef seemed to join the land
there was a channel of about one hundred feet in width, nearly straight,
and trending in a north-westerly direction, with so much water in it
that the sea only broke in one or two places throughout its entire
length. This channel was all that they could desire; for as the
prevailing wind seemed to