, the reef lay to windward, and the ceaseless roar of the surf upon
it filled the air with such a volume of sound during the night that
other sounds might well be drowned in it; but if perchance any
suspicious sounds from the direction of the ship were to reach the
settlement, and the alarm be given, it might still be very awkward for
us, although we had all the boats. For the settlers had plenty of
firearms and ammunition obtained from the cargo; and if they were to
muster on the Heads in time to fire upon us as we passed out of the
Basin, one or more of us might be hit and disabled, if not killed, which
would greatly jeopardise the success of our attempted flight. Still,
the risk had to be taken, and all that we could do was to minimise it as
much as possible by taking every precaution.

Accordingly the buntlines, clewlines, and leech-lines were cast off and
very carefully overhauled, and the watch-tackle hitched to the halyards
before any of us went up on the yards; then the gaskets were cast off,
and the main topsail sheeted home. To us, with our every sense wrought
to its highest pitch by anxiety, the noise was absolutely appalling, and
seemed as though it might easily be heard at the most distant extremity
of the island; but the die was cast. We had taken our fate in our
hands, and there was nothing for it now but to go on and get this part
of the business over as quickly as possible; therefore as soon as the
sheets seemed to be home we belayed them and sprang to the watch-tackle.
With the assistance of this handy little piece of gear we got the heavy
yard mastheaded without much difficulty, although the process was a
somewhat lengthy one, in consequence of the necessity to frequently
fleet the tackle, racking the halyards meanwhile to keep what we had
gained. However, we completed the job at length, and then the same
process had to be gone through with the fore topsail; and it was while
we were dragging away at the halyard of this sail that Grace Hartley,
upon whom we had not as yet found it necessary to call for help, came
running forward to tell us that lights were beginning to flash out here
and there in the settlement. It was true; for when we paused from our
labours for a moment to verify the statement I counted four separate
points of light, and while we still stood looking, another and another
leapt out of the darkness.

"The alarm is given and the men are being roused!" I exclaimed. "Well,
it can