hen morning broke, that they had certainly gained on the schooner, as her
mainsails were now visible. At twelve o'clock a low bank of sand was
sighted ahead, and the schooner had entered a channel in this two hours
later. The _Furious_ had to be hove-to outside the shoal. The sand
extended a long distance, but there were several breaks in it, and from
the masthead a net-work of channels could be made out. It was a great
disappointment to the crew of the _Furious_ to have to give up the chase
and see the schooner only some four miles off on her way under easy sail.

"This is an awkward place, Mr. Farrance," the captain said, "and will need
a deal of examination before we go any farther. The first thing to do will
be to sail round and note and sound the various channels. I wish you would
go aloft with your glass and see whether there is any ground higher than
the rest. Such a place would naturally be the point of rendezvous."

Lieutenant Farrance went aloft and presently returned.

"There is a clump of green trees," he said, "some ten miles off. The
schooner is nearing them, and I think, though of this I am not certain,
that I can make out the masts of another craft lying there."

"Well, it is something to have located her," the captain said. "Now we
must find how we can best get there; that will be a work of time. We may
as well begin by examining some of these channels."

Four boats were at once lowered and rowed to the mouths of those nearest.
The sounding operations quickly showed that in three of them there was but
two feet of water; the other was somewhat deeper, but there was still two
feet less water than the _Furious_ drew. The deep part was very narrow and
winding.

"It may be this one that the schooner has gone up," the captain said. "I
have no doubt she draws three or four feet less than we do, and, knowing
the passage perfectly, she could get up it easily. I hope, however, we
shall find something deeper presently."

The next three days were spent in circumnavigating the sand-banks and in
sounding the various channels, but at last the captain was obliged to
admit that none of them were deep enough for the _Furious_, although there
were fully half a dozen by which vessels of lighter draught might enter.

"I am ready to run any fair risk, Mr. Farrance," he said, "but I daren't
send a boat expedition against such a force as that, especially as they
have no doubt thrown up batteries to strengthen their posit