d take them off. We now dropped our kedge
anchor just inside the surf, in between two and three fathoms of water,
which was so clear that we could see the fish as they swam about, darted
at the bait, and swallowed the hooks.

We quickly hauled in a number of magnificent fish. We were so eager at
the sport that we didn't consider how rapidly the time passed, while the
doctor was more occupied with admiring the variously-coloured coral, the
richly-tinted seaweeds, and the curiously-shaped fish of all the hues of
the rainbow, swimming in and out among the trees of their marine
gardens.

At last Mr Griffiths, pulling out his watch, exclaimed, "Hulloa! How
time has gone by! Get up the anchor, lads. We ought to be off."

The order was more easily given than obeyed. We hauled and hauled, but
the anchor had got foul of the coral, and we ran a risk of losing it.
Soper offered to go down and clear it, but just then a huge shark showed
his ugly throat alongside, and Mr Griffiths would not let him go. At
last, just as it was dark, Brown managed to get the anchor up.

When we pulled outside the reef we found that the weather had changed.
It was blowing very hard, though, sheltered as we had been, we had not
discovered this. We looked eagerly out for the ship, but she was
nowhere to be seen.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

OUR LIFE ON AN UNINHABITED ISLAND.

We were still in smooth water, but the sea was breaking in the offing,
the white caps rising against the dark sky. Mr Griffiths thought that
the ship might have stood to the eastward and be concealed by the point
of land which ran out in that direction. We eagerly gave way and pulled
off from the shore. Several times he stood up to look about him. At
length he cried out--

"There she is! There she is! She's burning a blue light."

We all looked in the direction he pointed, which was almost abeam, and
there we saw a light, appearing, however, just above the horizon. He at
once steered the boat towards it, but as we pulled on the seas increased
and frequently broke aboard us; the wind was rising rapidly, and in a
short time blew a heavy gale. In vain we again looked out for the
light; none could be seen, and there was a great risk, should we
continue to pull on, of the boat being swamped.

The doctor and Mr Griffiths talked together earnestly; the latter then
said--

"Lads, there's no help for it, we must try and get on shore for the
night, and in the morni