order to fight against the
drawback, he ordered Ben Boltrope to get up a sail on one of the
studding-sail booms which was rigged as a yard across the mizzen
topgallant mast that had been stepped in the centre of the platform.
However, the wind was so light from their low elevation in the water,
that the influence of this new motive power was only faintly
perceptible, the shore seeming almost quite as far off after an hour's
hard rowing as before, and the ship equally near.

This would never do.

At such a rate of progress, nightfall would probably still find them
afloat in the centre of the bay, in danger, should the sea again get up,
of being dashed to pieces against the precipitous cliffs to the left;
while, in the event of their escaping that peril, the raft might run on
to some hidden shoal or reef down southwards in the darkness, or else be
swept out into the offing, where they would be the sport of the waves,
and could never hope to reach the land again.

They had hitherto been keeping well out from the adjacent coast, by
reason of their seeing its inhospitable look, and the scanty chance
there was of their effecting a landing there. This fact, indeed, was
self-evident, for they could see the surf breaking in one continuous
line, as far as the eye could reach, against the steep rocky face of the
cliff. Besides, Mr Meldrum had thought it the best plan to take the
shortest course towards the curve he had selected, where the southern
shore branched off at an angle with the eastern one, in the hope of
there being some sort of a beach in that vicinity. Now, however, he
determined to try another way of gaining his end; and that was by going
"the longest way round."

"Pull in to the left," he sang out to Mr McCarthy, "and let us see how
the current will then affect us. I fancy we'll feel it all the more as
we get inshore."

"Aye, aye, sorr," replied the first mate, directing the head of the
jolly-boat right towards the face of the frowning cliff nearest to them;
but still, for some time, there was no increase in their rate of speed,
the short chopping waves that formed the backwater of the surges, which
had already expended their strength on the rocky rampart of the coast,
militating against any slight advantage they gained by the current
taking them along with it.

At last, however, after three hours' hard work, and when the fourth
relay of men had just begun to handle the oars in the jolly-boat, the
raft ap