hat they would be of use had just struck me.

Away we went, our pockets loaded with as many oysters as we could carry.
When we got to the hole I was disappointed to find that Boxall was
right, and that there was only just sufficient water in my shoes to
enable Ben partly to quench his thirst. By further increasing the hole,
however, and putting down our oyster-shells, we found that we could
obtain a much larger quantity of the precious liquid than by means of
the shoes. Still there was only just enough to quench our thirst; and
even had we possessed a bottle, it would have required some hours to
fill it.

The tide had already begun to rise, and we agreed that no time was to be
lost in crossing the channel to our raft, as we should now have the
advantage of shallow water; whereas, if we waited, we should have to
carry the raft a considerable distance over the rocks to launch it.

"I won't disguise from you that I consider our expedition a dangerous
one," said Boxall. "Heavy weather may come on before we reach the
shore; or a current may sweep us either to the north or south on to
another reef. And when we do gain the shore, we cannot tell how we
shall support life, or what treatment we may receive from the
inhabitants, should we fall in with any, in that desert region. We can,
however, trust to One above to take care of us. Let us pray to Him for
protection."

We knelt down, and Boxall offered up a heart felt, earnest prayer, in
which we all joined. Then we rose from our knees, with strong hearts to
encounter the dangers before us.

CHAPTER THREE.

WE QUIT THE SAND-BANK--A SAIL! A SAIL!--SAVED--DON LOPEZ'S
INDIGNATION--THE SHIP STRIKES--FIRE! FIRE!--CRUELLY DESERTED--THE WRECK
BLOWS UP.

We had marked the spot where we had landed on the sand-bank, and we
hoped therefore without difficulty to find our raft on the top of the
reef. Before starting, we swallowed as much water as we could collect,
and filled our handkerchiefs and pockets with oysters--which we took out
of the shells, for otherwise we could have carried but few. It was not
a time to be particular, but the oysters _did_ feel somewhat slimy, and
did not look very nice. How much we wished for a bottle in which we
could carry water!--but all our ingenuity could devise no means of
securing any for the future. We had an orange apiece remaining, and
that was all on which we could depend for quenching our thirst till we
could reach the shore;