At length, pretty well tired out, all hands turned in with the exception of two, who remained to keep up the fire and discharge the gun every ten minutes.
Tom awoke at dawn of day and hurried up to join Desmond, who was keeping the morning watch.
“Where is she?” he exclaimed eagerly.
“That is more than I can tell,” answered Desmond. “I expected to see her close to, and to have had a boat come on shore by this time.”
“The mist hides her from us; see how it sweeps over the water from the northward. As the sun rises depend upon it we shall see her,” observed Tom.
Still Desmond was in doubt; the mist was so light that he had not hitherto observed it, and his eyes were dazzled by the glare of the fire, which was still burning. Tom ran up the flag, so that it might be seen the moment the mist should disperse. In a short time they were joined by the rest of the party, who in various tones expressed their disappointment at not seeing the stranger.
Presently the sun rose, and in a few seconds the veil lifted, disclosing a large ship, her bulwarks just rising above the horizon.
“She is a man-of-war steamer,” said Tom, who had been the first to take a look at her through the telescope. “She’s English too, for she’s just hoisted her ensign. There is smoke coming out of her funnel; she’s getting up steam. Hurrah! we shall soon have her here.”
The excitement after this became general and greater than ever. Tom and Desmond, however, were the only two of the party who witnessed the approach of the British man-of-war with unmitigated satisfaction. The men, having plenty of food, were in no hurry to go back to their routine of duty. The doctor and Peter would be among strangers, besides which the former, feeling assured that the vessel would in time be completed, was anxious to perform a voyage in a craft constructed under his own superintendence.
“The bother is, I shall have to keep that tiresome watch,” murmured Billy. However, he did not express himself openly to his messmates on the subject.