know by this time that we have seen him and will
rescue him, yet he continues to signal with his arms and that red rag as
though he were demented. It would not greatly surprise me to find, when
we get him on board, that his brain has given way with the horror of
solitude, suffering, and privation."

"By your leave, sir, it seems very much to me," suggested Roger,
touching his hat, "as though the poor fellow were striving not so much
to attract us nearer as to warn us to keep farther away."

"Why, boy, prithee what puts that idea into your head?" retorted the
captain rather testily. "Why should he wish us to keep off? Surely if
you were in his place you would be fully as anxious as he appears to be
to have the rescuing ships approach and take you off without delay?"

"What I meant to suggest, Mr Cavendish," responded Roger rather
stiffly, and not one whit abashed by his commander's testiness, "was
that perchance this man knows the shoals and rocks round the island
well. He may perceive that we are sailing into danger, and wish to warn
us from approaching any closer before it be too late."

"Zounds, boy!" shouted Cavendish, "'fore Heaven I believe that you may
be right in your assumption!"

Then, turning to the crew: "All hands stand by to veer ship!" he cried.

But even as he spoke there was a sudden check to the vessel's way, and
almost instantly she stopped dead, the sudden shock throwing more than
one man prostrate on the deck. At the same moment the leadsman in the
chains gave his warning cry: "Three fathoms only, and shoaling fast!"

But the warning came too late, for the vessel had taken the ground,
which evidently shoaled up with great abruptness. Her fore, main, and
mizzen topmasts snapped like carrots with the sudden check to her speed,
and came tumbling down with their attendant wreckage, thus adding to the
already great confusion on deck, and, what was worse, killing two men,
whom they could ill spare, and badly injuring five others.

"You were right, Roger!" shouted the captain as he ran past the lad to
the stern of the vessel, with intent to warn the other ships from a
similar mishap. But the warning was needless, for they had been on the
lookout, and, observing the accident to their consort, had at once
hauled their wind and gone off on another tack in time to avoid a
similar fate. When at a safe distance they luffed into the wind and,
furling their canvas, came to anchor.

Cavendish, seein