fires were kept banked up,
ready at any moment should it become necessary to put on steam. It was
fortunate that this precaution was taken. It had just gone two bells in
the second watch, when a sudden squall, descending from the cliffs,
struck the ship. The lead, which the second lieutenant, who had the
watch, ordered to be hove, showed that she was drifting.

Adair was on deck in a moment. He ordered more cable to be veered out.
The third lieutenant, who was in the forecastle, reported that the
anchor was away. It was accordingly hove up, when it was found that it
had parted close to the shank, leaving both flukes fast in the sand or
rock into which it had stuck. Steam was immediately got up, although by
that time the ship had drifted some distance out to sea. When the
morning broke she was surrounded by a thick mist, shutting out every
object half a mile off. Still, the direction of the land was known, and
the engines being set to work, she soon steamed back.

"I was afther thinkin'," said Pat, "that that black rock we saw last
night was but Cape Fly-away, afther all. It will be a wonder to me if
we ever sight it again. But, hurrah! there's the fire we saw burning,
so there must be a human being there; an' Cape Fly-away contains no
living sowl except, maybe, the Flyin' Dutchman, afther he got tired of
cruising about in his ould craft, an' taken to livin' on shore."

Similar ideas, although expressed in different language, were uttered by
many of the other men. However, that did not prevent them from pumping
away as before. All this time, it must be remembered that without a
moment's cessation the whole crew were thus engaged spell and spell.

"If that's Cape Fly-away, it's not had time to fly very far," observed
Pat, as the land once more came in sight and the anchor was let go in
seven fathoms of water, still closer in with the shore, where it was
hoped it would hold.

The engineer, however, received orders to keep the fires up, so that she
might hold her own against any ordinary blast which might again strike
her.

As the mist cleared away, every object on shore could be distinctly
seen. The ship was found to be but a quarter of a mile distant from an
almost circular line of cliffs, forming a deep basin, the only opening
towards the sea. They rose in many places to the height of nearly 900
feet, extending on either side of this curious basin for about a mile.
It was thus conjectured that the isl