Nothing now was left to the boys but to watch with eager eyes the scene around--to search over the waste of waters with the hope of seeing some sail, or perhaps some sign of land. And to this they devoted themselves. It was indeed a cheerless task, and one, too, which gave them but little hope. Hours passed, yet no sail appeared. Dinner time came, and the dinner was spread; yet the boys showed but little appetite. They had been in far worse circumstances than this, yet still this was sufficiently unpleasant to destroy all relish for Solomon’s cookery, even if the banquet had been composed of greater dainties than salt pork and sea biscuit. Thus the guests at that banquet were not at all appreciative; and they sat there in the schooner’s hold, not to eat, but merely to pass the time, which hung so heavy on their hands. Yet even thus their impatience did not allow them to spend much time at the dinner, for they soon retreated, and took up their stations on deck once more, to stare around, to scan the horizon, and to peer into empty space. Hours passed. On that afternoon, the wind gradually went down, and there seemed a prospect of calmer weather. Captain Corbet began to talk of mending the sail, and hoisting it again; and at length, calling upon Wade, he and his mate proceeded with needles and sail twine to patch up as before. Into this occupation these two plunged, but the boys still stood on the lookout. At length, Bart directed Bruce’s attention to something which appeared on the margin of the sea, far away on the horizon. “Bruce,” said he, “don’t you see something out there that looks like the mast of a vessel?” Bruce looked eagerly in the direction where Bart was pointing, and the others, who had heard the remark, did the same. II. _A strange and startling Sight.--A Mast in Midocean.--Land.--A Land of Terror.--A Panic.--The worst Place in all the World.--Tom drives away the Panic.--Drifting.--The Anchor dropped.--The Dawn of Day.--The low Land on the Horizon.--Preparing to go ashore.--The Confidences of the unfortunate Solomon._ AS they all stood looking in the direction where Bart was pointing,-- “I see it,” said Bruce. “It’s certainly the mast, and the mast of a ship, for there is the yard and the rigging; but there’s only one mast.” “It’s a sloop,” said Phil. “No,” said Tom; “it’s a square-rigged vessel of some sort.” “Sure an it ain’t got no more ’n one mast,” said Pat; “an be the same token, there’s no hull at all at all. Be the powers, but it would be a quare thing intirely if it was to turrun out to be another wather-logged ship. An if it is, it’s meself that’ll not set fut aboord of her; not me, so it isn’t.” “There’s something,” said Bruce, “that may be a hull. I can see it sometimes quite plain. Now look, boys, carefully, all of you, as we rise on the top of a wave.” All this time Arthur had been examining the object through the spy-glass. As Bruce said this, he handed the glass to him.