AFTER a three days' stay at Point de Galle, during which time we shipped more stores and water, and replenished our oil-tanks with paraffin, the "Fortuna" headed east once more.
During our stay in port we had "signed-on" a new member of the crew, a tall and not bad-looking Arab, named Yadillah, who, by some means or the other, had been left at Ceylon from one of the mail-boats. He was engaged as cook and steward, thereby relieving Johnston of a task which was, in the tropical climates, none too pleasant. Yadillah could speak English fairly well, and, although he required special berthing and messing arrangements, he got on with the rest of the crew, in a most satisfactory manner.
In crossing the Bay of Bengal we caught the southern limit of the S.W. monsoon, so that, without having to requisition the motor, we made rapid progress as far as Singapore.
Thence navigation, mainly on account of the imperfect charting of these waters, became difficult; and as we approached the coral islands of the Pacific a man had to be constantly stationed at the cross-trees by day to look out for shoal water, while at night the "Fortuna" had to be kept under reduced sail, so as to bring-to at the first sign of danger.
Seven months had now elapsed since the day when the "Fortuna" cleared out from Fowey, and we were within a few hours' sail of the island where we hoped to find the "San Philipo" treasure. Every member of the crew was in a state of anxious tension, while my father and his brother, though outwardly calm, were in a fever of excitement. In spite of our sanguine hopes, there occurred the thought that possibly our reading of the cipher might be wrong, or that some one else might have forestalled us.
"Wind's falling light, sir," remarked the bos'n, as my father, in his impatience, had taken the third observation that morning.
"Yes, but with luck we'll make the island well before nightfall. Tell them to get the motor running."
Two hours sufficed to bring the jagged peaks of the Truk Archipelago above the horizon, and shortly afterwards, in fulfilment of my parent's forecast, the island known to us as the "San Philipo" hove in sight.
By my uncle's suggestion we headed away to starboard so as to approach the island in the same direction as did the fugitive "San Philipo" and her pursuer the "Anne," and, on drawing nearer, we saw that the island bore a strong resemblance to the description given by my roving ancestor.
There was the hill to the south-east, with its cat's-head outlines, and the two rugged headlands on the western side, and by the aid of a glass we could make out the mouth of a large cave, while all around the island, as far as we could see, was a long line of white foam, denoting the presence of the coral reef.