I should say five or six knots an
hour," he answered.

"Beg pardon, sir," said Ben, who overheard him; "you forget, I dare say,
that this raft does not sail like a boat. I suspect that we don't get
much more than three or four knots out of her."

"I believe you are right, Ben," answered Boxall. "In that case, it will
take us an hour or so more than I calculated on to gain the shore.
However, it may be to our advantage, for it will be far safer to land
when it is calm than with so strong a breeze as is now blowing. At all
events, unless the wind changes, we shall reach the shore at last."

Another hour went by. According to Boxall's predictions, the weather
was improving. The dark clouds which had obscured the sky cleared away,
and the stars shone forth brightly as before; still the wind did not
decrease, and the seas kept tumbling, foaming, and hissing around us as
before. More than once we looked astern, thinking it possible that the
large raft might be again within sight; but no sign of her could be
seen. By degrees we had got accustomed to the tossing and the
occasional breaking of the seas over us, and even had we expected to
perform a much longer voyage we should not have complained; indeed, it
now seems surprising to me how little concerned we all appeared to be.

We were running much as we had been doing for the last three hours, when
Ben exclaimed, "Land! land!"--and directly afterwards, "Breakers ahead!"

We all looked out under the sail at what appeared to be the dark outline
of a hilly country,--it seemed strange that we had not seen it before,--
while the intervening line of white foaming breakers stretched out
parallel with the coast, and threatened our destruction before we could
reach it.

"Do you see any opening through which we may pass, Ben?" asked Boxall.

"No, sir; none at all," answered Ben. "All we can do is to hold fast to
the raft, and pray that we may be earned through the breakers."

"Had we not better lower the sail, then, and keep the raft off till
daylight?" I asked.

"We may lower the sail; but all the strength we possess could not keep
us out of the breakers," answered Boxall. "We had better do as Ben
suggests--stand on, and hope to be carried safe through them. Hold
fast, all of you!" cried Boxall; "here we are close upon them."

As he spoke, we saw the waters hissing and foaming and dancing up to a
prodigious height, as it appeared, directly before us, while the land