he added as Stephen was looking down into the
boat. "It is Mr. Archer's turn; but as he had got a touch of fever this
morning, he is better sitting under the shade of that sail than in an open
boat."

"Thank you very much, sir," Stephen said, and, running below, shoved his
pistols into his pocket.

"You have got water in the boat?" the captain asked the mate just as Steve
returned on deck.

"The keg is about half-full, sir," he said as one of the sailors lifted
and shook it.

"Hand them another down from the long-boat," the captain said, turning to
one of the men; "it is better always to make sure. Mr. Towel," he went on,
leaning over the side, "one is never sure of the weather for an hour, and
I don't altogether like the colour of the sky now. But if there are no
signs of change aloft, and you see the natives have not been near the
place, give a look round beyond the rocks for anything that might show
whether some of the crew got ashore--fires made, or anything of that sort.
Should you see signs, we will fire a gun or two when you return, and lay
off for a few hours to give them a chance of coming down to the beach."

"Ay, ay, sir," the mate said, "I will take a look round for them; but from
the way she has been thrown up I should doubt whether there is the
slightest chance of anyone having got ashore."

The captain nodded, then the mate gave the word, and the boat pushed off
from the ship. Four men rowed, two sat in the bow, Mr. Towel and the two
apprentices sat aft. They were some three miles from shore. There was a
ripple on the water, but the wind was very light. There was, however, a
ground-swell that had caused the _Tiger_ to roll, but which was scarcely
perceptible in the boat. Steve remarked on this.

"No," the mate said, "these long swells do not affect a boat in the least.
I have often gone ashore on the west coast of Africa, when one was
scarcely conscious in the boat of there being any swell on at all, and yet
the vessels at anchor outside were rolling almost gunwale under. Still, I
would rather that we had not got it, it is a sign that there is wind
somewhere, and I agree with the skipper that it is an unnatural-looking
sky. Still, it may be hours yet before there is any change."

Half an hour's rowing took them to shore. "She could not have picked out a
worse place, lads," the mate said when they approached the wreck. "You see
there are black heads sticking out of the water all round, and it must