tand by, both of you," cried Jack, in a quick, earnest tone; "be ready
to dowse the sail. I very much fear we won't make the island after all."

Peterkin and I were so much in the habit of trusting everything to Jack
that we had fallen into the way of not considering things, especially
such things as were under Jack's care. We had, therefore, never doubted
for a moment that all was going well, so that it was with no little
anxiety that we heard him make the above remark. However, we had no time
for question or surmise, for, at the moment he spoke, a heavy squall was
bearing down upon us, and, as we were then flying with our lee gunwale
dipping occasionally under the waves, it was evident that we should have
to lower our sail altogether. In a few seconds the squall struck the
boat, but Peterkin and I had the sail down in a moment, so that it did
not upset us; but, when it was past, we were more than half full of
water. This I soon baled out, while Peterkin again hoisted a corner of
the sail; but the evil which Jack had feared came upon us. We found it
quite impossible to make Penguin Island. The gale carried us quickly
past it towards the open sea, and the terrible truth flashed upon us that
we should be swept out and left to perish miserably in a small boat in
the midst of the wide ocean.

This idea was forced very strongly upon us because we saw nothing in the
direction whither the wind was blowing us save the raging billows of the
sea; and, indeed, we trembled as we gazed around us, for we were now
beyond the shelter of the islands, and it seemed as though any of the
huge billows, which curled over in masses of foam, might swallow us up in
a moment. The water, also, began to wash in over our sides, and I had to
keep constantly baling, for Jack could not quit the helm nor Peterkin the
sail for an instant, without endangering our lives. In the midst of this
distress Jack uttered an exclamation of hope, and pointed towards a low
island or rock which lay directly ahead. It had been hitherto
unobserved, owing to the dark clouds that obscured the sky and the
blinding spray that seemed to fill the whole atmosphere.

As we neared this rock we observed that it was quite destitute of trees
and verdure, and so low that the sea broke completely over it. In fact
it was nothing more than the summit of one of the coral formations, which
rose only a few feet above the level of the water, and was, in stormy
weather, all bu