e way. Daylight,
however, returned without anything having occurred.

On meeting Mark, I expressed my fears to him.

"Do you know, Dick, I was thinking of the same thing, and I have made up
my mind to cut and run on the first opportunity, and I advise you to do
the same thing. Indeed, I should not be happy if I left you behind; in
truth, I would not run unless you promise to desert also."

"That I will, with all my heart, though I don't think that Mr Fraser
and the other gentlemen are likely to allow themselves to be taken by
surprise, or to neglect putting the officers on their guard."

"They can't protect us; and the men, if they find themselves even
suspected, will certainly think that we informed on them."

Whenever we had the opportunity, Mark and I discussed our plans for
escaping. As far as we could judge, the officers and passengers were at
their ease, and didn't act as if they thought any mutiny would occur.
As the weather was now getting cold, the passengers had an excuse for
coming on deck in their cloaks; and one day, when Mr Fraser's blew
aside, I observed that he had a brace of pistols in his belt. They also
brought their rifles on deck, and amused themselves by firing at passing
birds, sometimes at porpoises, sharks, and other monsters of the deep
who showed their backs above water. I guessed at last, by the looks of
the men, that they saw that the passengers were on their guard. Even
the third mate didn't come forward as he had been accustomed to do; and
at night, what was very unusual, there were two officers on deck at a
time. We had now contrary winds and thick weather, which greatly
delayed us for several days. No observations were taken.

One morning land was discovered on the weather bow, which, the captain
said, was the coast of South America, and he carefully kept along shore
in order to pass between the Falkland Islands and the main land; but at
noon, when a meridian observation had been obtained, he found that what
he had at first supposed to be the main land was in reality the Falkland
Islands. We had for many days been sailing entirely by dead reckoning,
while the current had set us out of our course. As we had not taken a
full supply of water on board at Rio, and, owing to the bursting of the
butt, which had frightened me so much, we had less on board than usual,
the captain steered for one of the islands, where he knew that it could
be obtained.

We came to an anchor about