te sail flying before the wind, like a
sea-bird's wing on the summit of the waves," exclaimed Marianna, who had
been looking through the telescope at the object of which she spoke.

"Oh, it must be the mistico, then," cried Nina joyfully, hastening to
the telescope, through which she saw the white canvas, closely reefed,
of a small vessel standing for the island.

"Oh, it is the mistico," she exclaimed eagerly. "I know her by the
shape of her sails. It must be her, and they are returning in safety."

As soon as Nina had withdrawn her eye from the glass, which she did not
do for a long time, till she had fully persuaded herself that the vessel
in sight was the one she hoped, with her husband on board, Ada's
curiosity and interest were excited to watch the progress of the
mistico. On she came, careering across the foaming sea, now lifted on
the summit of a curling wave, now sunk into the deep trough between the
watery mountains, where she would remain, her sail alone visible,
apparently about to be overwhelmed by the wave which lifted its crested
head close astern of her; but again she would rise once more on the
summit of another, and as it were seated on it would fly onwards for a
long distance, again to plunge down to the dangerous depths from which
she had just emerged. To Ada the little vessel appeared in the most
imminent danger, and she expected every instant to see it disappear
beneath the waves, and wondered how she could have so long continued to
buffet them successfully. As she watched, she observed that the
mistico, instead of steering towards the west end of the island, so as
to fetch the mouth of the bay, was gradually verging towards the east;
and it struck her also that she was smaller than the mistico she had
been accustomed to see from the stern windows of the brig, while she was
living on board. But of that, of course, she was not able to form any
correct judgment, as from so great a height and distance the eye even of
the most experienced is easily deceived. She feared therefore that the
sail in sight was a stranger, and would, to a certainty, be wrecked on
the coast, without the chance of receiving any aid from the inhabitants,
who were much more likely to murder any of the unfortunate crew who
might escape the perils of shipwreck, for the sake of their clothes, and
any money they might have about them, than to assist in preserving their
lives.

Nina also had been watching, with still more i