nd turned bottom upwards, as if it had been a washing tub, plunging me
under water by the sudden capsize. I rose to the surface, and once more
laying my hands upon the boat, climbed up to get astride across the
keel; but in this I was also unsuccessful, for losing my balance, I drew
the boat so much to one side, that she righted again mouth upwards.
This was what I should have desired; but I perceived to my alarm that
she was nearly full of water, which she had shipped in turning over.
The weight of the water steadied her, so that I was able to draw myself
over the gunwale without further difficulty, and got safe enough inside;
but I had not been there a second, till I perceived that the boat was
_sinking_! My additional weight was the cause of this, and I saw at
once that unless I leaped out again, she would speedily go to the
bottom. Perhaps if I had preserved my presence of mind and leaped out
again, the boat might still have kept afloat. But what with my fears,
and the confusion consequent upon the various duckings I had had, my
presence of mind was gone, and I remained standing in the boat up to my
knees in the water. I thought of baling her out, but I could find no
vessel. The tin pan had disappeared, as well as the oars. The former
no doubt had sunk as the boat capsized, and the oars were floating on
the water at a great distance off.

In my despair, I commenced baling out the water with my hands; but I had
not made half-a-dozen strokes before I felt that she was going down.
The next instant she had gone, sinking directly underneath me, and
causing me to jump outwards in order to escape from being carried down
in the vortex she had made.

I cast one glance upon the spot where she had disappeared. I saw that
she was gone for ever; and heading away from the spot, I swam back in
the direction of the reef.

CHAPTER NINE.

THE SIGNAL-STAFF.

I succeeded in reaching the reef, but not without a tough struggle. As
I breasted the water, I felt that there was a current against me--the
tide; and this it was, as well as the breeze, that had been drifting the
boat away. But I got back to the reef, and there was not a foot to
spare. The stroke that brought me up to the edge of the rocks, would
have been my last, had no rocks been there; for it would have been the
last I could give, so much was I exhausted. Fortunately, my strength
had proved equal to the effort; but that was now quite gone, and I lay
for