t once. I
should say she is a good five-and-twenty miles away, but anyhow we can get
out to her before the evening breeze springs up."

By nine o'clock they made out that the ship was certainly heading in their
direction. Then the wind left her, and presently they saw her swing
broadside on to them.

"She is very like the _Tiger_," Joyce said. "She is just about the same
size and barque-rigged, but we cannot see her hull."

"She is the _Tiger_ sure enough," Wilcox said. "Her heading this way made
it pretty well certain, but I think I could swear to her now."

"Well, I vote we start for her at once. What do you say, Stephen?"

"I think so, Tom. Certainly it will be a long row in the heat, but that
does not matter. We had better put a stock of biscuits and cocoa-nuts on
board. One never knows about the weather here, and before night there
might be another cyclone, then she might have to run for it. We should
have to make for the nearest land, and might not be able to get back here
for two or three days."

As they had eaten their first meal there was no reason for any delay. The
canoe was emptied out, a store sufficient for two or three days put on
board, and they were soon on their way. They took the bearings of the ship
by various points of the island before they started, lest it should come
over thick.

"It ain't no use hurrying," Wilcox said as they dipped their paddles in
the water. "We have got a good five hours' pull before us, and whether it
is five or seven it don't make much difference."

They had each cut a square of canvas with which to cover their heads and
shoulders, and at short intervals they dipped these in the sea and so kept
off at least a portion of the extreme heat. The boat was much less heavily
laden than it had been on their previous journey, and went lightly through
the water. In spite of their agreement to take it easy their impatience to
reach the ship, on whose upper sails their eyes were fixed as they
paddled, prevented their doing so, and for the first two hours they rowed
at almost racing pace. Then the heat of the sun began to tell upon them,
their efforts slackened, and their pace decreased materially. However,
they could now make out the line of the hull above the horizon, and knew
that she could not be at most more than some eight miles away, and in
little more than two hours they were within half a mile of her. It was
their old ship the _Tiger_. By this time they could see that t