By the time that this job was ended the first signs of the coming dawn
began to show themselves away to the eastward, and with one consent
Gurney, Saunders, and I sprang into the main rigging and made our way
aloft to the crosstrees, with the purpose of taking a good look round at
our surroundings. In those low latitudes the day comes quickly, and we
had not occupied our lofty perch many minutes when up leapt the sun,
flashing his golden beams over the dark expanse spread out around us,
and we saw, to our dismay, that we occupied a small basin--one of many
such--situated almost in the exact centre of a vast reef, stretching
over a distance which we roughly estimated at thirty miles from north to
south, and perhaps twenty miles from east to west. The salt water that
had been hove up with the reef had by this time all run off, leaving the
dark, weed-covered rock fully exposed to view. Here and there, of
course, owing to the exceeding roughness and irregularity of the
surface, were scattered numerous pools, some small, and others of
considerable extent, which must obviously soon evaporate and disappear
under the influence of the sun's beams; and the disagreeable possibility
suggested itself to us all that the pool in which the _Mercury_ floated
might share the same fate. But we hoped not, for there were at least
three channels, wide enough to permit the passage of the ship, leading
out of our basin, stretching away across the reef, and joining other
channels, until the labyrinth became too intricate for the eye to
follow, and we trusted that one or more of these might lead to the open
ocean.

While we still remained aloft, discussing our situation and the best
means of extricating ourselves from it, a light air from the eastward
arose, redolent of the mingled odours of mud and seaweed; and as a wind
from this direction, if it would but come strong enough, might greatly
assist our efforts to get the ship off the mudbank upon which she was
partially grounded, we decided that we would at once try the effect of
setting the main topsail and throwing it aback; so while Gurney and
Saunders proceeded with this work, I looked about me for a suitable
berth in which to moor the ship, in the event of our efforts to refloat
her being crowned with success. At the height of the main topmast
crosstrees it was easy for me to discern pretty clearly the character of
the bottom of the basin in which we lay, and as the light increased