ed to find
somethin of a relish, an would hunt up thar. He said, too, he'd be
back by nine."

"I'm certain something's happened," cried Bart, more anxiously than
before. "If he's gone up there, he's been caught by the tide."

Captain Corbet stared, and looked uneasy.

"Wal, I must say, that thar's not onlikely. It's a bad place, a
dreadful bad place,--an him an old man,--a dreadful bad place. He'd be
down here by this time, ef he was alive."

"I won't wait any longer," cried Bart. "I must go and see. Come
along, boys. Don't let's leave poor old Solomon in danger. Depend
upon it, he's caught up there somewhere."

"Wal, I think you're right," said Captain Corbet, "an I'll go too. But
ef we do go, we'd better go with some preparations."

"Preparations? What kind of preparations?"

"O, ony a rope or two," said Captain Corbet; and taking a coil of rope
over his arm, he stepped ashore, and all the boys hurried after him.

"I feel kine o' safer with a kile o' rope,--bein a seafarin man," he
remarked. "Give a seafarin man a rope, an he'll go anywhar an do
anythin. He's like a spider onto a web."

X.

Tom ashore.--Storm at Night.--Up in the Morning.--The Cliffs and the
Beach.--A startling Discovery.--A desert Island.--A desperate
Effort.--Afloat again.

Tom slept soundly for a long time in the spot where he had flung
himself. The sense of security came to the assistance of his wearied
limbs, and lulled him into profounder slumbers. There was nothing here
that might rudely awaken him--no sudden boat shocks, no tossings and
heavings of waves, no hoarse, menacing thunders of wrathful surges from
rocky shores; nor were there distressing dreams to harass him, or any
anxieties carried from his waking hours into the land of slumbers to
annoy and to arouse. From Monday night until this time on Thursday, he
had known but little sleep, and much fatigue and sorrow. Now the
fatigue and the sorrow were all forgotten, and the sleep was all his
own. Not a thought had he given to the land which he had reached so
strangely. It was enough for him that he felt the solid ground beneath
his feet.

For hours he slept there, lying there like a log, wrapped in the old
sail, moving not a limb, but given up altogether to his refreshing
slumber. At length he waked, and, uncovering his head, looked around.
At first he thought that he was in the boat, then he grew bewildered,
and it was only after a persistent effort