l the _Mirabelle_
possessed bellied out on the night breeze, and Chris could feel the
ship leap under his feet as the additional canvas caught the wind and
the graceful ship surged forward.

Night fell before the men had finished and Chris and the Captain could
no longer see the sails of Claggett Chew's _Venture_.

The Captain turned to Chris. "It would be my advice, lad, to go below
and sleep for a bit. You too, Amos. I shall send Ned to awaken you
when land is sighted."

[Illustration]

This seemed good reasoning, and the two boys went below where they
snatched a few hours' sleep. It seemed only a minute to Chris from the
time he lay down in his hammock, knowing he was too excited to sleep,
until Ned Cilley was at his side with a lantern, bringing food for
Amos and himself.

"Best eat up, lads," Ned told them, "and join the Captain, sez he to
me, for land is just ahead and the Captain do be waiting you on the
bridge, Chris, me lad."

The food was bolted down in no time and Chris, feeling fresh and
alert, ran up to the warm darkness of the bridge.

To his surprise the usual lanterns were not lit; only a small shaded
light shed its rays on the compass near the wheel.

At his questioning look Captain Blizzard muttered: "Impossible to tell
how close behind the _Venture_ may be. We have come quickly, but they
have the faster ship. I have no wish to give them more clue than
necessary as to where we may be." He looked keenly toward the bow, his
hands clasped behind his back. "Land is off the starboard quarter, and
Abner Cloud is out on the bowsprit looking for the reef. We have
passed our anchorage--they expected us, or some other ship, for fires
were lit on shore. Sail has been taken in; we are going slowly and
will soon be there, by my reckoning."

His eyes grown used to the dark, Chris now saw that it was a
remarkably light night. There was no moon, but a myriad of stars gave
a clear pallid sheen to the sea. Chris, looking to his left, could
make out the blacker mass against the stars that was Tahiti. The
_Mirabelle_ was close inshore, and the scent of hot sand from the
beaches, of flowers and of plants, made Chris take many deep grateful
breaths.

"May I go forward and be with Abner?" he asked the Captain.

"Aye," replied that good man, for by this time Chris was as surefooted
as any sailor and for the last month or more had been clambering
barefoot in the rigging with the best of them. "Aye lad," the Capt