Now the roar of surf was heard, and Jake said in a troubled tone:
"I don't see how we are to make it after all, unless we plump her straight on, an' that's likely to be a dangerous experiment."
"Why not take in the sail, and work the oars; then you can pick a landing place?"
"All right, let go the halyards; but instead of furling the canvas you can stow it under one of the thwarts."
This order was given and obeyed cheerily, for all were in the best of spirits now that the end of the wearisome journey seemed to be so near at hand and in a very short time the boat was moving slowly toward the shore, rising and falling gently on the heavy swell.
Each moment it was possible to see more distinctly the coast, and when they were thirty yards from a shore strewn with jagged blocks of coral, Jake shouted:
"Hold on, boys, it would be worse than folly to attempt to run in there while the sea is so high."
"Can't you find a better place?" one of the men asked.
"It appears to be the same all along for a mile or so in either direction."
"There's more danger of bein' swamped while runnin' up or down the coast, than in makin' a try for it here. Let her go in on the swell, an' when the water shoals we can jump over to lighten her so she'll strike well up on the shore where there'll be no trouble in savin' everything."