"Well, you see," said Brand, with a forced laugh, "the fact is I am a little superstitious—always was!"
This explanation hardly seemed to satisfy the old sailor, who shook his head without saying a word.
Meanwhile, the canoe, still urged along by Turk's paddle, was gliding through the blue waters, now just beginning to catch the tinge of the coming sunlight.
Suddenly the old sailor, who had long been gazing far away towards the west, sprung to his feet, screaming out! "Sail O!" with all his might.
"It's the same craft I saw t'other night from the cliff!" said he; "I didn't say anything about it, as I wasn't sure it was a sail in the imperfect light, and didn't want to awake false hopes."
Harry Glenville now seizing his paddle, assisted Turk.
Meanwhile Brand, with an old handkerchief, continued to raise a signal, which it was soon evident, was seen by the vessel.
Previously standing away towards the southward, she now was seen to come 'round, bowling along, close hauled towards the canoe.
This at last was reached, and the occupants picked up, to learn they were aboard the ship Empire, of New York, homeward bound.
Every kind attention was bestowed upon the castaways, who, on their arrival home, a few months after, published a letter of thanks to the good skipper.