“It’s a sloop,” said Phil.
“No,” said Tom; “it’s a square-rigged vessel of some sort.”
“Sure an it ain’t got no more ’n one mast,” said Pat; “an be the same token, there’s no hull at all at all. Be the powers, but it would be a quare thing intirely if it was to turrun out to be another wather-logged ship. An if it is, it’s meself that’ll not set fut aboord of her; not me, so it isn’t.”
“There’s something,” said Bruce, “that may be a hull. I can see it sometimes quite plain. Now look, boys, carefully, all of you, as we rise on the top of a wave.”
All this time Arthur had been examining the object through the spy-glass. As Bruce said this, he handed the glass to him.
“It’s not a ship,” said he, “nor a vessel of any kind. It’s land.”
“Land!” cried all the boys.
“Yes,” said Arthur.
All were silent. Bruce took a look through the glass, and then passed it to Bart, who, after looking through it, passed it on to the others.
“It’s a fact,” said Bruce. “It’s land; and that’s a flag-staff.”