ly could perceive no limit to its extent in those directions and,
as I thought I saw deep water immediately to the eastward of us, I
ordered the men to jump out and track the boat over. This they did; but
on coming to what appeared to be deep water we found it was only a
continuation of the same sandbank, covered with seaweed, which gave the
water a darker appearance. The men now alternately tracked or pulled the
boat for about five miles over a continuation of the sandbank; a work
very fatiguing to those who were already exhausted by several days'
continuous exertion on a very short allowance of water in a tropical
climate. It had now been for some time night, and we had taken a star for
our guide which just before sunset I had seen rising over the main. I
thought we had at last gained the shore, at least the boat was close to a
dark line rising above the water which appeared like a wooded bank; two
of the men now waded onwards to find out the best place for landing and
to light a fire that the crew of the other boat might know where we were.
I saw them to my surprise not ascend a wooded bank but disappear amongst
the trees; and still through the silence of the night I heard the splash
of men walking through water, and in a minute or two afterwards the cries
and screams of innumerable startled waterfowl and curlews, who came
flying in flocks from amongst the mangrove trees.

FAIL IN MAKING THE LAND.

The men returned and reported that there was no land or any sign of land
hereabouts; that the mangroves were a belt of trees upon a sandbank and
that the water deepened inside; that the tide evidently rose very high,
from the tufts of seaweeds in the bushes; that it was then rapidly coming
in (which was evident enough, for the boat was afloat) and that the other
side of the mangrove bushes was an open sea.

This was unpleasant intelligence. That it was untrue I felt assured; but
one man, who certainly could not have seen more than a hundred yards
ahead of him on so dark a night, spoke as confidently as if he had seen
fifty miles, and this discouraged the others: so by way of keeping their
minds occupied I got under weigh again and stood off a little to the
southward in the hopes of falling in with the other boat. We cheered at
intervals of a few minutes, and fired a gun, whereupon ensued a great
screaming, whistling, and flapping of wings amongst the waterfowl, but no
human voices were heard in reply.

ANCHOR OFF MANGRO