.

The breeze did not come a bit the faster on that account. However, at
night it blew pretty strong off the land, and their hopes again revived.
But as the sun rose, it backed once more into its old quarter, and once
more they had to tack. On making the land, there were the identical
hillocks and clumps of trees they had before seen. Murray and Adair
agreed that there must be all the time a strong current setting them to
the eastward, and this, on running in closer, heaving-to, and trying the
bottom with the lead, they found to be the case. Provisions for two
days, and less than half allowance, was all they had now got. Murray
and Adair consulted together.

"We shall have to make for the nearest port, I fear, after all, or run
the chance of starving," said Adair.

"There is no alternative," answered Murray, with a sigh. "We have done
our best."

"That we have," replied Adair quickly. "There is no doubt about that.
You have, that is to say--I should have given up long ago. The sooner
we shape a course for Cape Coast Castle the better."

The schooner was kept away to retrace her steps to the eastward. But
now the wind fell altogether, and they began to fear that after all they
should get nowhere. The little food they had left was very bad.
Gradually it disappeared, and at length they literally had nothing
eatable on board.

"We must take a reef in our waistbands, and suck our thumbs," said
Paddy. "I see no other remedy for it."

He said this in the hearing of the men, to encourage them as much as he
could.

"We cannot be far off Cape Coast Castle, that is one comfort," added
Murray. "We will keep a sharp look out for it at all events."

The day passed, and so did the next, and still the calm continued. They
searched about in every part of the vessel, in the hopes of discovering
a store of farina or rice, but nothing could they find but the rotting
tobacco and the monkey-skins, and, starving as they were, they could not
manage to eat them. Even when reduced to this extremity the young
officers themselves did not despond, nor did their men, who looked to
them for example, do so either. Murray calculated that if they could
but get a breeze, they might reach the port for which they were steering
in less than twenty-four hours. It was very tantalising to be so near
it, and yet not to be able to get there. Had they had any fish-hooks,
they would, they thought, be able to catch some fish, but none we