n," said the captain. "His spirit's rising, and
that will carry him along. I wouldn't notice anything."

"Hi! father!" cried the lad, as he lowered his glass and caught sight of
them. "I can't make much out even here. I say, Captain Bradleigh, are
you sure this is the island?"

"Well, I'm sure it's land," replied the captain.

"But we don't seem to get a bit nearer."

"Sun's getting higher and makes it fainter. But the wind is falling,
and we'll clap on a little more sail."

As the morning went on sail after sail was added, the men springing
aloft and shaking out the squaresails, while long triangular pieces of
canvas were run up the stays till the yacht was crowded, and she glided
along with a delightfully easy motion.

But it was all in vain; the wind sank and sank, till at mid-day the
sails hung motionless in the glowing sunshine, while, save for a slow
soft heaving, the glassy transparent sea was absolutely without motion.

"Oh, this is vexatious!" cried Jack impatiently.

"Yes, you'll have to whistle for the wind, Jack," said the doctor,
stretching himself under the awning and lighting his cigar.

"Whistle for nonsense!" said the lad irritably. "So tiresome, just too
as we have come in sight of the place."

"Practice for your patience, my boy," said Sir John merrily. "Oughtn't
he to come under the awning out of the scorching sun?" he continued to
the doctor, as Jack went forward to where Captain Bradleigh was giving
orders about lowering some of the studding-sails.

"Won't hurt him so long as he does not exert himself," replied the
doctor. "The sun, sir, is the real fount of life. Nature incites all
animals to bask in it, even the fish. There's a shoal swimming yonder.
We'll have a try for some presently. Do him good."

"Then why don't you go and lie in it?" said Sir John, smiling.

"Because I don't want doing good. Too idle. I'm drinking all this in.
I never felt so well in my life."

"Nor I," said Sir John, watching his son's movements, "but I begin to
feel as if I should like to be doing something active. What's Jack
about?"

The answer came in the boy's voice, heard distinctly enough in the clear
air,--

"I say, don't take the sails down, Captain Bradleigh," he said; "the
wind may come again soon."

"Not before sundown," replied the captain, "and then we shan't want
stuns'ls."

"But it might!"

"Yes, and it might come with a sudden touch of hurricane, my lad. We're
gettin