They were thus employed until daylight, when Tom, who had sprung up to the poop to look out, exclaimed—“A ship in sight! a ship in sight! she’s only just hull down.”
His shout brought the rest of the party up around him, and all were eagerly looking out in the direction be pointed. As daylight increased, Tim began to rub his eyes—
“Arrah now, ill-luck to it; but my ship has just turned into a white rock,” he cried out. “Shure but it’s a mighty disappointment.”
The expectation of speedy deliverance was thus suddenly destroyed; but the shipwrecked party continued looking round on every side, in the hope of discovering land. The light yet further increasing, Tom’s countenance brightened as he observed what looked like the masts of a ship rising, far off, out of the water.
“Why, I believe those are three cocoa-nut trees,” he cried out cheerfully. “I see several others away to the eastward.”
“If there are cocoa-nut trees, there must be land too, for they don’t grow out of the sea,” said Billy, “and I hope we may be able to get there.”
“You need not doubt about our doing that,” said Tom.
This announcement raised every one’s spirits. The weather had much moderated. The sea between the reef on which the ship lay and the land was tolerably smooth.
The forlorn party began to cheer up. All now began to feel hungry. “I’ll tell you what it is: if we don’t get something to eat soon, I for one shall die of inanition,” exclaimed Billy. “I can’t stand starving at the best of times, and I am suffering dreadfully.”
“We will see what can be done, Billy,” said Tom, and as if it was a matter of course, he told Peter to get breakfast ready.