pa_, under
her three topsails, jib and spanker, stood off and on, never going
farther from the shore than a distance of six miles, and very gradually
working her way back to--as nearly as we could guess it--the spot where
we had lost sight of the brigantine. As the night wore on all traces of
the recent storm passed away; the sky cleared, the moon and stars beamed
down upon us in tropical splendour, affording us an ample sufficiency of
light to enable us to maintain an effective watch upon the coast, and
ensure that the stranger did not creep out from her place of concealment
and give us the slip. The _terral_, or land wind, overpowered by the
recent squall, once more resumed its sway and piped up strongly,
bringing off to us the warm, fragrant odour of land and vegetation.

At length the day dawned, the sun soared into view above the eastern
horizon, and with the coming of the light some half-dozen of the best
telescopes in the ship were brought to bear upon the line of coast that
lay about five miles distant on our port beam. I happened to be the
lucky possessor of an exceptionally good instrument--a present from my
father--and I had not been long at work with it when I discovered what
was unmistakably a small indentation in the coast-line, sheltered and
all but concealed by two headlands which approached each other so
closely that, viewed from a distance, they appeared almost to overlap.
I immediately directed the first lieutenant's attention to the spot, at
the same time handing him my glass, and he presently picked it up. He
agreed with me that it was undoubtedly a cove, or tiny bay of some sort,
but was rather of the opinion that it was too small to afford shelter to
a vessel of the dimensions of the missing brigantine. Nevertheless,
since it was the only opening that we could discover, and was, moreover,
about the spot where the stranger had disappeared, it was determined to
give the place an overhaul, and the helm was accordingly eased down, the
yards braced in, and we began to work in toward it. Then the fighting
boats' crews were told off to overhaul the boats and prepare them for
service, yard and stay tackles were got aloft for the purpose of
hoisting out the launch, the boat-guns were slung all ready for lowering
over the side as soon as the boats should be brought alongside,
ammunition boxes were brought on deck, and, in short, every preparation
was made for a boat expedition; after which all hands we