bore more to the north.

He judged, from what he had heard on the coast, that he must be nearly
off Cape Tejones, behind which lies the town of Bengasi, and was
confirmed in the belief on finding half an hour later that the coast,
which had run nearly north and south, trended sharply away to the
northeast. All day long he kept about the same distance from the land,
and at night, instead of keeping on his course, brailed up the sail
entirely, and allowed the vessel to drift, as he knew that before
morning he should lose the coast if he continued as he was going. He
slept without moving until daylight, and then saw, to his satisfaction,
by means of landmarks he had noticed the evening before, that the boat
had drifted but a few miles during the night. As the day went on, he saw
that the coastline was now east and west, and felt that he must be off
the most northerly point of the promontory; he accordingly laid his
course to the northeast, which would take him close to Cape Saloman, the
most easterly point of Crete, and from two hundred and fifty to three
hundred miles distant.

For twenty-four hours he sailed quietly on, the wind dropping lighter
and lighter; then it suddenly died out altogether; for some hours there
was not a breath to stir the surface of the water, and the heat was
stifling. Gervaise slept for some time; when he awoke the same stillness
reigned, but there was a change in the appearance of the sky; its
brightness was dulled by a faint mist, while, although the sea was of
a glassy smoothness, there was an imperceptible swell that caused the
felucca to sway uneasily. Gervaise had sufficient experience of the
Levant to know that these signs were ominous of a change, and he at
once set to work to prepare for it. Although he saw that it would be
difficult for him unaided to hoist the long spar back into its place,
he decided to lower it. This was not difficult, as its weight brought it
down on to the deck as soon as he slackened the halliards; he unhooked
it from the block, and then lashed the sail securely to it. When he had
done this he looked round. A bank of dark clouds lay across the horizon
to the northwest, and in a short time he could see that this was rising
rapidly.

Before taking down the spar and sail, he had deliberated as to whether
it would be better to run before the coming gale or to lie to, and had
decided on the latter alternative, as, were it to continue to blow long,
he might be driven