me, as we came to
them. And so I did, with the gratifying result that when the sun's
lower rim had reached to within a finger's breadth of the western
horizon the _Mercury_ slid out past the southern edge of the reef and
made her first curtsy as she once more dipped to the swell of the open
ocean, having triumphantly negotiated and overcome every one of the
difficulties of that endless rock-bound channel. I sprang into the
topgallant rigging and shinned up to the royal yard, from which
elevation I was able to watch, over the head of the main topsail, the
great black expanse of reef receding on either quarter, until the sun
plunged beneath the horizon in a blaze of purple, crimson, and gold, and
then I descended to the deck by way of the backstay, and walked aft to
exchange congratulations with the little group of two men and a woman,
who stood clustered about the wheel watching the evanishment of that
strange rock prison in the fast-gathering gloom of the tropical night.
Before descending from aloft I had taken the precaution to fling one
long, lingering, all-embracing glance round the horizon ahead, from one
quarter to the other, and had pretty well satisfied myself that there
were no dangers lurking in the road along which we were going, no white
curl of surf to warn us of the existence of treacherous sunken reefs.
Our next act, therefore, was to bring the ship as close to the wind as
she would lie, on the port tack, lash the wheel, adjust the after braces
in such a way that the craft would steer herself, and then all go below
to partake of the very excellent meal that Grace Hartley had prepared
specially to celebrate the occasion of our happy escape from the reef.

The ensuing fortnight was a period absolutely barren of events, the
weather remaining fine and the wind steady during the whole time, so
that we had nothing to do but just to permit the ship to drive steadily
along to the southward, hour after hour, and day after day, at an
average speed of about four knots. It is true that during the course of
that fortnight we sighted and passed several islands, at varying
distances; and in one case we hove-to for about half an hour to permit a
canoe with half a dozen natives to come alongside and barter their load
of fruit for a few feet of brass wire and a handful of glass beads. But
we determined to anchor nowhere, if we could help it; for we were now
all anxiety to reach our destination as quickly as possible. Th