the murmuring wave which rippled on the sand,
whilst the cocoa-tree on the beach waved to the cooling breeze."
"'It is not in smooth seas that your father must be sought,' said she,
'we must try elsewhere.'
"By degrees the waves rose, until at last they were raging in their
fury, and the shell was tossed by the tumultuous waters; but still not
a drop entered, and we sailed in security over billows which would
have swallowed up the proudest vessel.
"'Do you fear now, Philip?' said you to me.
"'No,' replied I; 'with you, Amine, I fear nothing.'
"'We are now off the Cape again,' said she; 'and here you may find
your father. Let us look well round us, for if we meet a ship it must
be _his_. None but the Phantom Ship could swim in a gale like this.'
"Away we flew over the mountainous waves--skimming from crest to crest
between them, our little bark sometimes wholly out of the water;
now east, now west, north, south, in every quarter of the compass,
changing our course each minute. We passed over hundreds of miles: at
last we saw a vessel, tossed by the furious gale.
"'There,' cried she, pointing with her finger, 'there is your father's
vessel, Philip.'
"Rapidly did we approach--they saw us from on board, and brought
the vessel to the wind. We were alongside--the gangway was clearing
away--for though no boat could have boarded, our shell was safe. I
looked up. I saw my father, Amine! Yes, saw him, and heard him as he
gave his orders. I pulled the relic from my bosom, and held it out
to him. He smiled, as he stood on the gunnel, holding on by the main
shrouds. I was just rising to mount on board, for they had handed to
me the man-ropes, when there was a loud yell, and a man jumped from
the gangway into the shell. You shrieked, slipped from the side, and
disappeared under the wave, and in a moment the shell, guided by the
man who had taken your place, flew away from the vessel with the
rapidity of thought. I felt a deadly chill pervade my frame. I turned
round to look at my new companion--it was the Pilot Schriften!--the
one-eyed wretch who was drowned when we were wrecked in Table Bay!
"'No! no! not yet!' cried he.
"In an agony of despair and rage I hurled him off his seat on the
shell, and he floated on the wild waters.
"'Philip Vanderdecken,' said he, as he swam, 'we shall meet again!'
"I turned away my head in disgust, when a wave filled my bark, and
down it sank. I was struggling under the water,
|