the port quarter. "I cannot see it now, because of the light on the
water; but I saw it most distinctly a moment ago. We sailed almost
directly over it."

"And you thought it looked like a sunken wreck?" asked Leslie.

"Yes," answered the girl; "I certainly did. It was as large as a ship,
and had somewhat the appearance of one."

"Well, we will go back and have a look at it," said Leslie; and, bearing
up for a moment and then putting his helm down, he tacked, bringing the
catamaran round in such a manner as to pass back over practically the
same ground as before. And presently they both sighted the same object
again--a huge something that certainly bore some resemblance to the hull
of a ship, lying submerged upon the sandy bottom of the lagoon, about
fifty fathoms from the inner edge of the reef. They were too far away
from it, however, to distinguish it clearly, the light reflected from
the surface of the water rendering their view of it indistinct; Leslie
therefore this time wore the catamaran round, and, lowering her sails,
allowed her to drift gently forward with the way that she still had on
her. And this time they passed right over the object, when, as soon as
the catamaran was fairly clear of it, he let go his anchor and allowed
his craft to drive astern again until she floated fair and square over
the mysterious thing. Then, lying down flat upon the deck of the
catamaran, he peered straight down into the crystal-clear water, in the
shadow of the craft, and saw beneath him what was unquestionably the
weed-grown hull of a ship of antiquated model, of some four hundred tons
measurement. She was heading straight for the reef, with her stern
pointing toward the island. And as Leslie lay there intently studying
her every detail, he presently made out a stout rope cable leading from
her starboard hawse-pipe toward the reef, the end of it being buried in
the sand. Her posture was such as to suggest to the experienced eye of
the sailor that she had driven over the reef, somewhat in the same way
as the _Mermaid_ had done; but, unlike the latter craft, had cleared it
altogether and had there been brought to an anchor, subsequently sinking
where she lay. She seemed to have been a three-masted ship, for Leslie
could see the stumps of the fore and main masts, and believed he could
make out the stump of the mizzenmast broken close off at the deck. She
had the appearance of a craft of somewhere about the Elizabet