-and in less than half an
hour afterwards we found ourselves clear of the terrible lagoons
altogether and fairly in Santa Clara Bay, where we fell in with the
_Foam_, hove to and waiting for us.

It was by this time within an hour of sunset; so, as I was anxious to
get into open water before nightfall, it was arranged that we should go
out to sea through the Manou Channel and Cardenas Bay, as we had before
done in the _Pinta_; and the passage was accomplished without mishap;
Diana Cay being passed on our larboard hand, and the vessels' heads
being laid north by east just as the first stars began to twinkle out
from the darkening blue above us.

Shortly after this it fell calm; and advantage was taken of the brief
period of inactivity preceding the springing up of the land-breeze to
apportion the few effective hands remaining to us as fairly as possible
between the schooner and her prize, the latter being, of course, put
under Courtenay's command, with Pottle, the quarter-master, as
lieutenants, gun-room officers, and midshipmen all rolled into one.
Courtenay's crew, with their kits and hammocks, were transferred to the
felucca in good time to fill on her and stand on in the wake of the
_Foam_ with the first of the land-breeze; and then, with Pottle in
temporary charge of the prize, and Tompion keeping a lookout on the deck
of the schooner, Courtenay and I, more firmly knit together than ever by
the trying events of the day we had just passed through, sat down to
talk matters quietly over together while we discussed the very
creditable dinner which the steward had provided for us.

On the following morning the melancholy task of burying our dead was
performed, both vessels being hove to, with their colours' hoisted half-
mast high, during the ceremony; and I think it was a very great relief
to all hands when, the poor fellows--ten in all, including O'Flaherty--
having been consigned with all solemnity to their last resting-place
beneath the heaving billow, we were able to fill away again and resume
our course to the northward and eastward.

Noon that day found us three miles to windward of the Anguilas, situate
at the south-east extremity of the Cay Sal Bank; and an hour later the
lookout on board the _Foam_ reported a sail, apparently a large
schooner, on our weather-beam, running up the Old Channel under easy
canvas. The breeze was then blowing rather fresh at about east by
north, the _Foam_ thrashing along with h