us Jose
Leirya's schooner, and with no idea whatever of sighting land. So
everybody on deck was much astonished when, on a certain morning, the
cry came down from the masthead of the _Stag Royal_ of "Land ho, bearing
dead ahead!" At the same moment a string of flags fluttered up to the
main truck of the _Tiger_, which was signalling that she also had caught
sight of land of some description.

"What do you make of it, Roger?" shouted Cavendish, for it was Roger's
sharp eyes that had caught the first glimpse of the unexpected land as
he was aloft straining his eyes in a search for the raking masts of Jose
Leirya's craft.

"Well, sir," responded the boy, "it is an island of some kind, a very
small one, and lying low in the water. I can make out what I take to be
a few trees, probably palms, and I think--nay, I am quite sure now--that
I can see a thin column of smoke rising from about the centre of the
island."

"In that case," said Cavendish, turning to Leigh, who was standing at
his elbow trying to catch sight of the land from the level of the deck,
"there is evidently a human being on that island who has seen the sails
of our fleet, and wishes to attract our attention and be taken off. I
suspect there has been a shipwreck there, and very likely there may be
more than one man. Now, I should not at all object to find and take off
a whole crew of shipwrecked seamen--provided that they were English,--
for what with our fight with the Spaniards, that brush with the savages,
and sickness, we have had our crews thinned down very considerably. God
grant that they be not Spaniards; for if they are, and are in distress
there, I must take them off in common humanity--though, were we in like
case, I doubt if they would do the same for us,--and then I shall have
my vessels again lumbered up with a lot of useless fellows until I can
land them somewhere. Moreover, that same landing will be very difficult
now, for we shall not be likely to find down here another place which
will serve our purpose so well as did the Careenage, all these islands
and land hereabouts being already occupied by Spaniards, and we should
be running our own heads into danger in attempting to get rid of them.
Mr Leigh, be good enough to work out our dead-reckoning up to this
hour, and let us see exactly where we are on the chart, for there is no
island or land of any description marked where we are at present
sailing."

Leigh did as the captain had or