haped a course
corresponding to the bearing of the canoe as taken from the summit of
those same cliffs.

He calculated that the canoe had secured a fifteen miles' start of him,
and, estimating as nearly as he could her speed from the glimpse that he
had caught of her as she skimmed past the reef earlier on in the day, he
doubted very much whether the speed of the catamaran exceeded that of
the canoe by more than a couple of miles in the hour, to which might be
added or subtracted a trifle according to the relative merits of the
respective helmsmen. Knowing that in a stern-chase every trifle tells,
Leslie steered as carefully as he knew how, and as one of the
catamaran's merits happened to be that she would steer almost as well
off the wind as she would on a taut bowline, he hoped that through this
he might be able to gain a little extra advantage. Furthermore, he had
a compass--which it was reasonable to suppose that the savages lacked--
and that ought to prove a further help to him.

Being now, as he believed, fairly upon the track of the fleeing canoe,
and having eaten nothing since breakfast, Leslie deemed the moment a
fitting one wherein to snatch a meal; and this he did, steering with one
hand and feeding himself with the other as he alternately eyed the
compass and looked ahead on the watch for the first glimpse of the
canoe's triangular sail, although he knew full well that several hours
must elapse ere he might hope for that. And, meanwhile, what agonies of
terror and despair would not that highly strung and gently nurtured girl
be suffering! At the mere thought Dick set his teeth and carefully
scrutinised the set of his canvas--already trimmed to a hair--to see if
there was anything he could do to get a little extra speed out of his
flying craft.

Meanwhile the sun slowly declined in the western sky, and finally sank,
in a blaze of purple and crimson and gold, beneath the horizon; the
glowing tints quickly faded to a dull purplish grey, a star suddenly
glittered in the eastern sky, and was quickly followed by another and
another, and two or three more, until the entire dome of heaven was
spangled with them, and night was upon the solitary voyager. Dick lit
the lantern that he had brought with him, and so arranged it that its
light should fall upon the compass card, lit his pipe, and set himself
to the task of endeavouring to work out a scheme for the recovery of his
sweetheart without injury to her or--