"Keep her as she goes, quartermaster," ordered Captain Jeremy, who was now devoting his attention to some secret bearings on the shore.
"By the mark thirteen," sang out the leadsman, while almost directly afterwards his companion gave the cry, "And a half six."
"Starboard your helm."
Once more the Golden Hope swung round till she lay on her former course and was pointing straight for the island. Right ahead I could now see a deep bay, or rather gulf, protected by a ridge of jagged rocks running obliquely seaward from either horn of the land. Even here the rollers ran high, but they lacked the broken crest that elsewhere marked an almost continuous submerged reef.
Away aloft sprang the men to reduce still further our spread of canvas. With a succession of heavy lurches the Golden Hope crossed the bar and entered the land-locked harbour.
"Let go," shouted Captain Jeremy, laying down his glass with a sigh of relief and wiping his heated brow.
With a sullen splash the anchor plunged beneath the waves, the stout hempen cable flew through the hawse-pipe, and the Golden Hope brought up head to wind in the sheltered anchorage of Treasure Island.
The Neptune, smartly handled, also dropped anchor half a cable's length nearer inshore, and steps were immediately taken to moor both vessels, a massive chain bridle and swivel being bent on to the cables to prevent undue chafing, and also to facilitate matters should we be compelled to slip in a hurry.
The waters of this little harbour were so clear that the bed of the sea could be distinctly seen at a depth of five fathoms. The Golden Hope was lying immediately over a white sandy 'patch, though both her anchors were embedded in blue mud, which formed an excellent holding-ground.
It being too late in the day to land, for mooring and "snugging down" had taken up a considerable time, all hands were allowed to stand easy. Many of the men took advantage of this permission to bathe, and a strange sight it was to see a constant stream of seamen running along our fore-yard and diving thence into the sea.