But there were too many eddies along it at present to think of venturing through it in the boat. Better wait a little until the outgoing tide had left it practicable.

From the cross-trees Briant carefully reconnoitred the coast in front of him. There were no signs of inhabitants in the bay, which from point to point was about eight miles long.

After being aloft half an hour, Briant returned to report what he had seen. Donagan and his supporters listened without saying anything. Not so Gordon, who asked, —

‘It was about six o’clock, was it not, when the yacht grounded?’

‘Yes,’ said Briant.

‘And how long is the tide running out?’

‘Five hours, I think. Isn’t it, Moko?’ replied Briant

‘Yes, five or six hours’ said Moko.

‘That would make it eleven,’ said Gordon, ‘for the best time for us to try.’

‘That is what I thought,’ said Briant.

‘Well, let us have all ready by then,’ said Gordon. ‘And now let us have something to eat. If we have to take to the water, let it be some time after we have had a meal.’

The suggestion was received with much applause, and acted upon immediately. With the biscuits and the jam the youngsters forgot their troubles, and as they had had nothing to eat for twenty-four hours, they ate away steadily as if they never intended to stop.

After a time Briant went to the bow and took another long look at the rocks.

How slowly the tide seemed to go out! And yet the depth of water must be decreasing, for the yacht heeled over more and more. Moko got out the lead-line and found he touched bottom at eight feet. Would the schooner be left high and dry? Moko did not think so, and he took an opportunity of telling Briant so on the quiet, so as to alarm nobody. Briant went and consulted with Gordon. Evidently the northerly wind prevented the tide running out as far as usual in calm weather.

‘What is to be done?’ said Gordon.

‘I don’t know,’ said Briant ‘What a nuisance it is that we are only boys when we ought to be men!’

‘It is rather!’ said Gordon. ‘But necessity, you know, may bring us up to the mark. Never despair! we shall be all right if we are careful. We must do something.’

‘Yes; we must do something. If we don’t get away from the ship before the tide comes back, we are done for.’

‘That is true enough, for she’ll go to pieces. We must leave her somehow.’

‘Yes, somehow!’

‘Couldn’t we make a raft?’

‘I thought of that, but nearly all the spars went overboard in the storm. We cannot break up the deck to make a raft with the planks, for we have no time. There is only the boat, and the sea’s too rough for her. All I can see is to get a rope across the reef, and fasten it to one of those rocks over there. We might get them all ashore that way.’

‘Who’ll take the rope?’

‘I will,’ said Briant

‘I’ll help you,’ said Gordon.

‘No. I’ll go alone.’

‘Won’t you take the boat?’

‘That would risk losing her. Better keep her as a last resource.’

But before starting on this dangerous plan Briant took another precaution. There were a few life-belts on board, and these he got up from below, and made the smaller boys put on. If they had to leave the wreck while the water was too deep for them to wade, the belts would keep them afloat, and the bigger boys, as they clung to the rope, could push them ashore.

It was then a quarter-past ten. In forty-five minutes It would be low water. At the schooner’s bow there was not more than four or five feet of water; but it seemed as though only a few inches more would run out. Sixty yards away the water shallowed considerably, as could be seen by its colour, and by the numerous rocks sticking up out of it To cross this sixty yards was the difficulty. If Briant could get a rope firmly fixed to one of the pointed rocks, and stretch it taut with the help of the windlass, all would get off in safety. And along the rope they could slide the packages of provisions and other articles from the wreck. But it was a risky undertaking, and Briant would allow no one to attempt it but himself.

He chose a rope of moderate size, and, slipping off his clothes, tied it round his waist

‘Now, come along there,’ said Gordon. ‘Stand by to pay out the rope.’

Donagan and his friends came forward with the rest, and stood ready to slack the rope out gently from the coil so as to ease off the weight as much as possible.

As Briant was about to plunge into the sea his brother ran up, crying, — ‘My brother! My brother!’

‘Don’t be afraid, Jack, don’t be afraid for me!’ was the reply, and in another moment Briant was on the surface of the sea, swimming strongly with the rope behind him.

In a calm the task would not have been easy, for the surf beat furiously among the rocks.