sh him."

I immediately communicated what I had heard to the first mate, who told
the captain. They sent for Ned, who, as he said that he had got all the
information he could out of the Malay, they did not propose putting
back, as I fancied they would have done. I do not think that the
captain was sanguine about finding any of the "Amphion's" crew, though
Uncle Jack kept up his hopes and mine.

"It may be like looking for a needle in a bundle of hay; still, if we
search long enough, the needle will be found," he remarked. "As long as
the captain will agree we will continue the search."

Rounding the northern end of Celebes, we crossed the Molucca passage for
Ternate, where we were to call. It is a small island off the coast of
the large but little known one of Gillolo. As we approached we saw
rising out of the sea in a line several conical-shaped mountains, four
thousand feet in height, one of which the captain said was Ternate, for
which we were bound. Passing between that island and Tidore, of even
greater height, we anchored before the town which stretches along the
shore, while the mountain overhanging it was clothed to a considerable
height with trees and spice plantations. The scenery was truly
magnificent, but as we thought of the eruption of Sanguir, we saw in
what a moment the whole town and neighbourhood might be reduced to
desolation should an eruption burst forth from the mountains which rose
so grandly above our heads. We remained here four days, during which an
earthquake--an event of frequent occurrence--took place.

I grudged every moment's delay, and was thankful when we once more were
steering southward. We were sailing on with a light breeze through a
perfectly smooth sea, when a dull roaring sound was heard, like a heavy
surf astern. The roar rapidly increased, and we saw a white line of
foam rolling on. Thinking that it might be the precursor of a
hurricane, we clewed up the topsails, but as the wave passed we rode
easily over it with the same sort of movement which is felt when
entering a river across a bar. It was followed with a short interval by
another of similar character, succeeded with greater rapidity by ten or
twelve more, when the sea became as smooth as before. The captain had
no doubt that these waves were caused by an earthquake occurring at some
distance to the northward. While at Ternate we heard that a suspicious
fleet of large prahus had been seen steering to the s