ned to the boat? Had she gone to the bottom? Not that; but, what
at first appeared almost as bad for me--_she had gone away_!

When I turned my eyes in the direction I expected to see her, she was
not there! The little cove among the rocks was empty.

There was no mystery about the thing. At a glance I comprehended all,
since at a glance I saw the boat herself, drifting away outward from the
reef. No mystery at all. I had neglected to make the boat fast, had
not even taken the rope-hawser ashore; and the breeze, which I now
observed had grown fresher, catching upon the sides of the boat, had
drifted her out of the cove, and off into the open water.

My first feeling was simply surprise; but in a second or two, this gave
way to one of alarm. How was I to recover the boat? How to get her
back to the reef? If not successful in this, how then should I reach
the shore? Three miles was the shortest distance. I could not swim it
even for my life; and I had no hope that any one would come to my
rescue. It was not likely that any one upon the shore could see me, or
be aware of my situation. Even the little boat would hardly be seen,
for I was now aware of how much smaller objects would be rendered at
that great distance. The signal-staff had taught me this fact, as well
as the reef itself. Rocks that, from the shore, appeared to rise only a
foot above the surface, were actually more than a yard. The boat,
therefore, would hardly be visible, and neither I nor my perilous
situation would be noticed by any one on the shore, unless, indeed, some
one might chance to be looking through a glass; but what probability was
there of such a thing? None whatever, or the least in the world.

Reflection only increased my uneasiness; for the more I reflected the
more certain did it appear to me, that my negligence had placed me in a
perilous situation.

For a while my mind was in a state of confusion, and I could not decide
upon what course to follow. There was but little choice left me--in
fact, I saw no alternative at all--but remain upon the reef. Upon
second thoughts, however, an alternative did suggest itself, if I could
but succeed in following it. That was to swim out after the boat, and
endeavour to regain possession of her. She had not drifted so far away
but that I might reach her by swimming. A hundred yards or so she had
got from the edge of the islet, but she was still widening the distance
between us, and