"How long will we drift?"
"Wal, for about two hours—darsn't drift longer; an besides, don't want to."
"Why not?"
"Darsn't. Thar's a place down thar that every vessel on this here bay steers clear of, an every navigator feels dreadful shy of."
"What place is that?"
"Quaco Ledge," said Captain Corbet, in a solemn tone. "We'll get as near it as is safe this night, an p'aps a leetle nearer; but, then, the water's so calm and still, that it won't make any difference—in fact, it wouldn't matter a great deal if we came up close to it."
"Quaco Ledge?" said Bruce. "I've heard of that."
"Heard of it? I should rayther hope you had. Who hasn't? It's the one great, gen'ral, an standin terror of this dangerous and iron-bound bay. There's no jokin, no nonsense about Quaco Ledge; mind I tell you."
"Where does it lie?" asked Phil, after a pause.
"Wal, do you know whar Quaco settlement is?"