n at the same speed. An hour
passed, the fog had settled thicker than ever. At ten minutes past two
bells in the morning, without any warning--the lead even shewing deep
soundings--a crashing, grating sound was heard, accompanied by a
distinct trembling vibration, proceeding, apparently, from under the
ship's bottom. Even then, no one dreamed we were ashore; such a sound,
such a sensation, might have been produced by running over a junk. At
this moment the leadsman got a throw of the lead, and "_a quarter less
four_," indicated only too plainly the origin of the sounds.

With his usual promptness--as if running ashore was a matter of ordinary
evolution--our captain at once gave orders for engines to be reversed,
for boats to be hoisted out, and anchors placed away, where they would
be of most use; at the same time directions were given to have the steam
launch coaled and provisioned to go back to Hakodadi for assistance. On
soundings being taken along the starboard side plenty of water was
obtained; it was only on her port bottom that the ship had grounded.
Efforts were made to roll her off, all hands rushing from one side of
the deck to the other, but without result. Through the crystal clear
water, and in the deep shadow of the ship, the nature of the bottom
could be clearly seen--coral rocks and yellow sand. Fortunately the sea
was a flat calm, or it must have fared ill indeed with us.

At ordinary times the sailor prefers plenty of sea room, and the further
he is from land the safer he feels; but when one's ship has suddenly
converted "_mare_" into "_terram_" with, may be, a hole in her to boot,
then indeed the proximity to some friendly shore is his first
consideration.

The lifting fog revealed to us our whereabouts; within a hundred yards
of us the surf washed edges of a reef, and before us the low shores and
high hills of O'Kosiri.

The unusual sight of a large ship so near their island soon brought the
natives off in their queer canoes. By means of our interpreter we learn
that the people had never seen a man-of-war before; that there was no
rise and fall of tide there; and much more about the ways and means
available for opening up communications with Hakodadi.

Meanwhile shot and shell were got out and sent on shore, and coals
pitched overboard, because no lighters were obtainable at this stage in
the proceedings. The divers having gone down reported the ship aground
in three distinct places, aft, amidsh