urred in living
in it. But this storm was tremendous. We ran to the narrow part, close
by the waterfall, to flee out at a minute's warning. As we sat huddled
together, all silent and awe-struck, what was that we saw in the flash
of lightning? Some uttered a hurried exclamation, all started, but none
said a word. The thunder crashed louder; we longed for the lightning. It
came, one long, bright flash, and every mouth uttered "a ship! a ship!"

How unaccountable were our feelings. Fear for the ship predominated.
Then the wild conjectures, the hopes, the fears. Suppose it was the
beloved La Luna, or some stranger. We heeded not the storm for ourselves
now. We longed for the flashes of lightning to reveal to us the strange,
the welcome, the bewildering sight. She was apparently riding at anchor,
endeavouring to weather the storm under the shelter of the great rock,
for each flash showed her in the same place, but each flash also took
away from the most sanguine the hope that it was La Luna; yet still we
clung to the idea that it might be the dear captain come in another
vessel. To leave the spot was impossible; the maids brought cloaks and
wrappers for the children, who slept at our feet, but the older watchers
remained with their eyes fixed on the one spot, waiting for the coming
dawn. The wind lulled, the rain ceased, the thunder was silent, and the
impenetrable darkness remained unrelieved by the lightning. Thus we sat
through that dark night, waiting for the coming hour so important to our
fate.

Over the wide-spread sea streamed the first light of morning. As it
spread from one end of heaven to the other our hearts beat, our eyes
ached to penetrate still quicker the fast-receding gloom. It was then
that Madame spoke, beseeching me earnestly to suffer no signs of our
being on the island to show themselves until we had carefully scanned
and examined the strangers. To this I silently agreed. Schillie and
Gatty, with the three girls, were so absorbed in their watch that Madame
went to each and gave them the caution she had given me. In a few
minutes the world was in a blaze of light, and conspicuous on the
troubled but brilliant sea was the long, low, black hull of a
schooner-rigged vessel. There seemed no signs of life on board, which
sent a chill to our hearts. If our dear captain had been there, would he
not have been watching for the daylight as we had been? Would he not
have been landing at this moment, and we rushin