as a
matter of small importance, because the working of the yacht required so
little attention--especially in fine weather--that it did not interfere
with the services or the rest of the day. Fred made a point of
assembling the crew and reading the Church of England service every
Sunday forenoon, and a chapter or two from the Bible in the evening.

On the present occasion they were all assembled on the quarterdeck
joining in the morning service. The breeze was steady, and the
steersman was the only man on duty, but he was not thereby prevented
from attending to what was being read. The vessel was gliding along
close under a precipice which towered high above the mast, and, at a
short distance ahead, extended out in a bold promontory or headland.
Elsewhere mountainous islands hemmed them in.

When they reached the promontory Fred was reading that beautiful Psalm,
the 95th,--which appeared somewhat appropriate to the occasion.

"O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us heartily rejoice in the
strength of our salvation.

"Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and shew ourselves
glad in Him with psalms.

"For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

"In His hand are all the corners of the earth: and the strength of the
hills is His also.

"The sea is His, and He made it: and His hands prepared the dry land.

"O come, let us worship and fall down: and kneel before the Lord our
Maker."

Fred happened to look up at the last words, and an exclamation of wonder
broke from him as he pointed towards the shore. The schooner had just
doubled the towering promontory, and a new scene had been suddenly
opened up to view.

Just beyond the promontory the coast-line took an abrupt bend to the
right, at the end of which was a sequestered little bay, with a beach of
yellow sand, and a cluster of grassy mounds behind, of the brightest
emerald green. The bay and the green mounds and the strip of yellow
sand were all exceedingly small, and were surrounded by a mass of rugged
rocks of a cold, whitish-grey colour. Beyond these were the great
purple mountains of the mainland. Ahead and in front towered the
islands of the coast. The whole of the surrounding scenery was wild,
rugged, and barren. This one little spot alone was soft and lovely; it
shone out like a bright jewel from its dark setting. All round the bay
were clustering cottages, with white walls and red roofs,--some on the
sides of