to see
whether there was anything stirring; yet neither in the valley, nor on
the faces of the cliffs, nor in the open water could we perceive aught
living, and as for anything among the weed, it was small use trying to
discover it among all that shaggy blackness. And now, being assured that
nothing was coming at us, and that, so far as our eyes could pierce,
there climbed nothing upon the ropes, the bo'sun bade us get turned-in,
all except those whose time it was to watch. Yet, before I went into the
tent, I made a careful examination of the big rope, the which did also
the bo'sun, but could perceive no cause for its slackness; though this
was quite apparent in the moonlight, the rope going down with greater
abruptness than it had done in the evening. And so we could but conceive
that they in the hulk had slacked it for some reason; and after that we
went to the tent and a further spell of sleep.

In the early morning we were waked by one of the watchmen, coming into
the tent to call the bo'sun; for it appeared that the hulk had moved in
the night, so that its stern was now pointed somewhat towards the island.
At this news, we ran all of us from the tent to the edge of the hill, and
found it to be indeed as the man had said, and now I understood the
reason of that sudden slackening of the rope; for, after withstanding the
stress upon it for some hours, the vessel had at last yielded, and slewed
its stern towards us, moving also to some extent bodily in our direction.

And now we discovered that a man in the look-out place in the top of the
structure was waving a welcome to us, at which we waved back, and then
the bo'sun bade me haste and write a note to know whether it seemed to
them likely that they might be able to heave the ship clear of the weed,
and this I did, greatly excited within myself at this new thought, as,
indeed, was the bo'sun himself and the rest of the men. For could they do
this, then how easily solved were every problem of coming to our own
country. But it seemed too good a thing to have come true, and yet I
could but hope. And so, when my letter was completed, we put it up in the
little oilskin bag, and signaled to those in the ship to haul in upon the
line. Yet, when they went to haul, there came a mighty splather amid the
weed, and they seemed unable to gather in any of the slack, and then,
after a certain pause, I saw the man in the look-out point something, and
immediately afterwards there belc