the
shore. As the Englishmen vigorously plied their paddles they saw the
Spaniards making all sorts of frantic gestures at them, shaking their
fists and hurling abuse at their heads. When they got from under the
lee of the rock, they hoisted sail and found that the raft steered very
well, and with the aid of the paddles made good way towards the land.
Gradually the rock sank lower and lower in the horizon, till it was
almost hid from sight; but when they looked towards the shore, that
appeared almost as far off as ever. They had hoped to reach it before
sunset, but that hope gradually faded away, as the breeze which had
hitherto favoured them grew less and less, and finally sank into a calm.
However, that was better than a gale, and they could still paddle on
their raft in the direction in which they wished to go. They were also
far better off than they had been on their former raft. It was more
strongly made, they had better provisions, and the prospect of reaching
land in a short time. The sun, however, went down, and they were still
far from it. Jack and Terence sat side by side, and endeavoured to keep
up each other's spirits during that long, long night. It came at last
to an end. The sun rose; they looked round the horizon; no sail was in
sight. Some of the seamen began to grumble, as even the best will at
times, and to complain at having been enticed off the rock. Hemming
overheard them.

"What think you, my lads, would have been our lot had we remained with
those madmen?" he said. "I'll tell you; by this time not one of us
would have been alive." As the sun rose, the breeze came strongly off
the land and drove them once more away from it. "Never fear, my lads;
we shall have the sea-breeze soon to send us back again," he cried out
cheerfully to keep up their spirits. It did not come as soon as he
expected. At last a rock appeared rising out of the water. It rose
higher and higher. The raft drifted slowly by at a distance; still the
atmosphere was so clear that they could discern figures on the top.
They all looked earnestly. There could be no doubt of it; the people
were struggling like madmen. Now and then one of them, it appeared, was
cast off the cliff into the water, but the distance was so great that it
appeared rather like some dreadful dream than a reality. While they
were gazing at this spectacle the wind fell; then in a short time the
breeze came from the west, and hoisting their sa