sy.

"Now up with the throat halliard. That will do.

"Now the gaff a little more. Belay there.

"Now get that topsail up from the sail locker. We won't shift jibs
just yet, until we see whether the breeze is going to freshen."

It was not long before the increasing heel of the craft, and rustle
of water along her side, told that she was travelling faster.

"The wind is freeing her a bit, sir. It has shifted a good half
point in the last ten minutes."

"That is a comfort," Frank said. "You may as well heave the log. I
should like to know how she is going before I turn in."

"Seven knots, sir," the mate reported. "That is pretty fair,
considering how close-hauled she is."

"Well, I will turn in now. Let me know if there is any change."

At five o'clock Frank was on deck again. Purvis was in charge of
the watch now.

"Good morning, sir," he said, touching his hat as Frank came up.
"We are going to have a fine day, and the wind is likely to keep
steady."

"All right, Purvis. What speed were we going when you heaved the
log?"

"Seven and a half, sir. Perry tells me that she has been doing just
that ever since the wind sprang up. I reckon that we are pretty
well abreast of Finisterre now. We shall have the sun up in a few
minutes, and I expect that it will come up behind the land.

"Lambert, go up to the cross-tree and keep a sharp lookout, as the
sun comes up, and see if you can make land."

"I can make out the land, sir," the sailor called down as soon as
he reached the cross-tree. "It stands well up. I should say that
you can see it from deck."

The mate and Frank walked further aft and looked out under the
boom. The land was plainly visible against the glow of the sky.

"There it is, sure enough," the mate said. "I looked over there
before you came up and could not make it out, but the sky has
brightened a lot in the last ten minutes. I should say that it is
about five-and-twenty miles away. It is a very bold coast, sir.

"That is Finisterre over the quarter; you see the land breaks off
suddenly there. We ought to have made out the light, but of course
it is not very bright at this distance, and there was a slight mist
on the water when I came up at eight bells."

"I suppose in another forty-eight hours we shall not be far from
the southern point of Portugal."

"We shall be there, or thereabouts, by that time if the wind keeps
the same strength and in the same quarter. That would make an
uncommo