om 250 to 300 feet
in diameter, in the north angle of which the ship is lying. As the tide
rose the white breakers disappeared, and the sea, fortunately for
the "Chancellor," was pretty calm; otherwise the dashing of the waves
against her sides, as she lies motionless, might have been attended by
serious consequences.

As might be supposed, the height of the water in the hold increased
with the tide from five feet to nine; but this was rather a matter for
congratulation, inasmuch as it sufficed to inundate another layer of
cotton.

At half-past eleven the sun, which had been behind the clouds since
ten o'clock, broke forth brightly. The captain, who had already in the
morning been able to calculate an horary angle, now prepared to take
the meridian altitude, and succeeded at midday in making his observation
most satisfactorily. After retiring for a short time to calculate the
result; he returned to the poop and announced that we are in lat; 18deg.
5min. N. and long. 45deg. 53min. W., but that the reef on which we are
aground is not marked upon the charts. The only explanation that can be
given for the omission is that the islet must be of recent formation,
and has been caused by some subterranean volcanic disturbance. But
whatever may be the solution of the mystery, here we are 800 miles from
land; for such, on consulting the map, we find to be the actual distance
to the coast of Guiana, which is the nearest shore. Such is the position
to which we have been brought, in the first place, by Huntly's senseless
obstinacy, and, secondly, by the furious north-west gale.

Yet, after all, the captain's communication does not dishearten us. As
I said before, our spirits are reviving. We have escaped the peril of
fire; the fear of explosion is past and gone; and oblivious of the fact
that the ship with a hold full of water is only too likely to founder
when she puts out to sea, we feel a confidence in the future that
forbids us to despond.

Meanwhile Curtis prepares to do all that common sense demands. He
proposes, when the fire is quite extinguished, to throw overboard the
whole, or the greater portion of the cargo, including of course, the
picrate; he will next plug up the leak, and then, with a lightened
ship, he will take advantage of the first high tide to quit the reef as
speedily as possible.

CHAPTER XVII.

OCTOBER 30th.--Once again I talked to M. Letourneur about our situation,
and endeavoured to animate him