eaving the port for which we were bound far astern.
The farther we got from the land, the heavier the sea became. At length
the tossing and tumbling to which the old schooner was exposed began to
tell on her hull, the seams opening and letting in the water at an
unpleasant rate. The pumps and buckets were therefore set agoing, and
we all turned-to, labouring at one or the other; but in spite of all our
efforts there appeared a great probability that the _Great Alexander_
would go to the bottom. Happily, however, the gale abated in time to
prevent that catastrophe. Once more we hauled our wind and stood back,
steering, however, for the northern entrance to the harbour, as our
skipper intended to touch at Hickory Bluff, near the mouth of Pease
Creek, instead of Punta Rassa, as he at first proposed doing. On
standing in, however, we ran on one of the many oyster-banks which exist
between the islands. As the tide was falling, we in vain endeavoured to
haul off the schooner, which bumped pretty severely for some time,--an
operation not likely to improve her seaworthy qualities. At last we
were left almost high and dry,--the only advantage we gained from this
being the power of collecting an ample supply of very fine oysters.

"Ah!" exclaimed Lejoillie as he popped one after another down his
throat, "this is indeed a fine country, and might maintain a population
as dense as that of China with the abundance of food its shores and
surrounding seas afford."

"What are we to do next?" asked Carlos, when we had finished our
oysters.

"Wait till the tide rises, and then, if we can keep the craft afloat,
make for Hickory Bluff, where I guess we shall have to put her on shore
and try to patch her up," answered the skipper.

"And how long will it take to perform that operation?" inquired
Lejoillie.

"Maybe a week, or maybe a month," was the answer. "I guess we shall
have to put a new bottom into her, for most of her planks are as rotten
as touchwood."

This was not pleasant information, as we had still some miles to sail;
but we were thankful that we had made the long stretch from Key West
without going to the bottom. At last we did get off, and by dint of
hard pumping and baling the _Great Alexander_ was kept above water until
we reached the neighbourhood of Hickory Bluff, on the northern shore of
Pease Creek, when, the wind being favourable for the purpose, we ran the
craft at high-water right up on the sandy beach j