er than ever, and there was no sign
of land. One of the men, much worse wounded than they had thought, lay
down in the bottom of the boat and died. They tossed his body
unceremoniously overboard. Robert knew that it was necessary, but it
horrified him just the same. Another man, made light of head by dangers
and excessive hardships, insisted that there was no island, that either
they would be drowned or would drift on in the boat until they died of
thirst and starvation. The captain drew a pistol and looking him
straight in the eye said:

"Another word of that kind from you, Waters, and you'll eat lead. You
know me well enough to know that I keep my word."

The man cowered away and Robert saw that it was no vain threat. Waters
devoted his whole attention to an oar, and did not speak again.

"We'll strike the island in two or three hours," the captain said with
great confidence.

The dawn continued to struggle with the stormy sky, but its progress was
not promising. It was only a sullen gray dome over a gray and ghastly
sea, depressing to the last degree to men worn as they were. But in
about two hours the captain, using glasses that he had taken from his
coat, raised the cry:

"Land ho!"

He kept the glasses to his eyes a full two minutes, and when he took
them down he repeated with certainty:

"Land ho! I can see it distinctly there under the horizon in the west,
and it's the island we've been making for. Now, lads, keep her steady
and we'll be there in an hour."

All the men were vitalized into new life, but the storm rose at the same
time, and spray and foam dashed over them. All but two or three were
compelled to work hard, keeping the water out of the boat, while the
others steadied her with the oars. Robert saw the captain's face grow
anxious, and he began to wonder if they would reach the island in time.
He wondered also how they would land in case they reached it, as he knew
from his reading and travelers' tales that most of the little islands in
these warm seas were surrounded by reefs.

The wind drove them on and the island rose out of the ocean, a dark, low
line, just a blur, but surely land, and the drooping men plucked up
their spirits.

"We'll make it, lads! Don't be down-hearted!" cried the captain. "Keep
the boat above water a half hour longer, and we'll tread the soil of
mother earth again! Well done, Peter! You handle a good oar! You're the
youngest in the boat, but you've set an example f