"Same here. I'm all twisted up like a ball of yarn," admitted Jack.
Although they had been afloat for such a long time, it was still daylight. At that time of year in those regions it is light almost all day long. This was a good thing, for if darkness had overtaken them they would doubtless have become even more alarmed than they were. For some time they drifted on, when all at once a sudden shift of the wind came. The fog was whipped into white ropy wreaths that drifted off like smoke. And there before them, not half a mile off, was a fair sized bay edged by rocky cliffs, but green and tree-grown close by the water. The blue bay, smooth and calm compared to the open sea, led back into the heart of a noble mountain panorama. Beyond the coast hills were snow-covered peaks and inaccessible valleys. Between the hills that formed the bay, the vegetation was plainly fresh and verdant.
"Hurray!" shouted Jack, carried away by enthusiasm at the sight of land once more.
Tom checked him gently.
"Remember we have no idea where we are yet," he said. "This country is sparsely settled and we may have stumbled on some desert part of it."
Jack's face fell, and Sandy, who had been about to share his rejoicing, remained silent.
"Can't you figure out what land this is?" asked Jack.
"I've not the remotest idea. I'm like you, all twisted up as to locality."