do what we
would, and at last we had to anchor.

"By-and-by the breeze freshened; but we was in a very ugly berth, and
the skipper didn't like to make a move.

"However, we didn't have a chance to settle the matter for ourselves,
for just about sunset the old barkie struck adrift, and, before we could
get the canvas on her, she was in among the rocks and bilged.

"We all got ashore, there bein' no great matter of a sea running, and,
to make a long story short, was made prisoners by the natives. What
become of the rest of the hands I never knowed--they may be there yet
for all I can say. An old chap picked me out, and made a sort of
servant of me, and, on the whole, I had pretty easy times of it I got to
find out, at last, that I was somewhere on the island of Madagascar.

"I stayed here nigh on two years, I reckon; but at last I got a chance
to steal a canoe and slip off to a small craft that was becalmed in the
offing. She was luckier than the Dutchman, as we got a breeze off the
land about an hour after I boarded her.

"She was bound to the Cape, and there I left her, shipping the very same
day in the craft I now belong to, and sailing for home the same
a'ternoon."

"Well," said I, as soon as the man had finished, "if your story is
true--and I see no reason to doubt it--_you_ at least are blameless as
far as the wrong done to my father is concerned. The only question now
is, whereabouts is the island on which he was left?"

"Ah, sir," replied he, "that's more'n I can tell. I _did_ hear Johnson
mention the latitude and longitude of it once; but I'm blest if I can
remember 'em now."

I was determined, however, to get _some_ clue if possible, however faint
it might be; and I took him into our little cabin, and spread a chart of
the Pacific on the table. Then I got him to recall, as nearly as he
could, the courses and distances steered by the _Amazon_ until the time
of her wreck.

We managed to trace her as far as the north-western extremity of New
Guinea, the man happening to remember hearing Johnson point out some
land in sight as the Cape of Good Hope.

This must manifestly have been the headland of that name on the north-
west coast of New Guinea; but from this point he became bewildered. He
remembered passing a great many islands after sighting this headland,
however, and was of opinion that the average courses steered were about
south-east, and he thought it was nearly a month afterwards when the