At length we slid gently into our little cove. Bob put his helm down;
the cutter luffed into the wind, and, as soon as her way was deadened
sufficiently, I let run the anchor; after which, with one accord, Bob
and I took off our hats and gave three joyous cheers. It was the first
time we had brought up since leaving Madeira.

We soon had our canvas furled, and, whilst Ella busied herself with the
preparations for tea, Bob and I got our "boat" on deck, and set about
putting her together.

Whilst thus engaged, my companion remarked, "Well, Harry, I must say I
didn't like the looks of things, for a minute or two, whilst we was
running down upon the reef outside; but you piloted us in in capital
style. Did ye happen to think, however, how we're going to get out
ag'in, now that we're here?"

"Certainly I did," replied I. "You surely do not imagine that I would
run in here, without being satisfied beforehand that we could get out
again all right. There was no time for explanation whilst I was aloft;
but, just before I caught sight of the channel through which we entered,
I distinctly saw one on _this_ side of the island, through which we
could have beaten the little craft without much difficulty. It appeared
to have only two reaches, and I think we might have laid up one of them
on the port tack, and the other on the starboard tack; and as to getting
out, it will be a run with the wind free all the way. But what do you
think of our berth?"

"Snug and comfortable as heart could wish," responded he, with an accent
of keen enjoyment; "and I _do_ hope as you'll give us all, and the
little craft, a holiday of a day or two, now we're here. 'Twon't do any
of us any harm; and I really feels as though I could go ashore and lie
down under the shade of them trees all day, and do nothing but just
enj'y the rest and the coolness, and ease my old eyes by looking up at
the beautiful green leaves, with the clear blue sky peeping between 'em
here and there."

I had a very similar feeling; for, though the island had nothing very
specially attractive about it, to us who had looked on nothing but sky
and sea for so long, it appeared but little short of a paradise. So I
very readily acquiesced in his proposal, the more so as I felt that our
health would be very greatly benefited by the change.

By the time that we had our boat put together and hanging astern by her
painter, tea was ready; so, after a comfortable ablution, by way