eople should be on the look-out, and that they should be relieved every
hour. The appearance of the reef made it probable that they were in the
neighbourhood of other reefs and low coral islands, and they anxiously
waited for daylight in anticipation of discovering the particular island
of which they were in search. Standing to the south they cleared the
reef, and once more, having shortened sail, they stood on their course.

The sun was just rising, a vast globe of fire, out of the purple ocean,
when Elton, who had gone aloft, shouted, "Land! land! A low island,
with palm-trees on it!" One after another, everybody on board went
aloft to look at the long-wished for island. Peter came nodding his
head, with a pleased smile, exclaiming, "Dat is land! dat is land!" for
he had already learned some words of English.

The island, as the schooner drew near it, appeared to be of an oval
form, under a mile in length and half that in width, with a large lagoon
in the centre, having one entrance from the southern end and an outer
reef, on which the surf broke, curling upwards like a wall of snow, and
then falling back in wreaths of foam; the outer reef thus saving the
islet from being overwhelmed during every gale of wind which raged.
Inside the reef, the water was calm as a mirror and of the deepest blue;
then came a line of glittering white sand, and then a circle of green of
the brightest emerald, surrounding a basin of water even of a deeper
blue than that on the outside.

Carefully the schooner approached; frequently she hove-to and sounded,
but no bottom was to be found, and consequently there was little hope of
her being able to anchor. She stood closer and closer in; with their
glasses the adventurers examined the island in every part, but no one
was seen moving. Still Peter insisted that it was the island on which
the white man had been seen; indeed, he pointed out what certainly
appeared to be a hut under the trees. The only way to ascertain whether
the man was still there was to land, and that was a work of some
difficulty. The boat, fitted with empty casks and pieces of cork round
her sides to serve as a lifeboat, was lowered; the captain steered,
Elton and three other men rowed. A narrow space of clear water
presented itself through the surf: "Give way! give way!" cried Charley,
and they dashed on, the water foaming and leaping up on either side, and
they were safe within the outer reef.

The safest landi