The old Neshamony had the honour of being thus employed, among others.  The south-western angle of the group formed a long, low point, or cape of rock, making a very tolerable roadstead on its north-western side, or to leeward.  This cape was known among the colonists by the name of Rancocus Needle, from the circumstance that it pointed with mathematical precision to the island in question.  Thus, it was a practice with the coasters to run for the extremity of this cape, and then to stand away on a due south-west course, certain of seeing the mountains for which they were steering in the next few hours.  Among those who plied to and fro in this manner, were many who had no very accurate notions of navigation; and, to them, this simple process was found to be quite useful.

Off Rancocus Needle, the governor had appointed a rendezvous for the whole of his little fleet.  In collecting these vessels, six in all, including four boats, his object had not been resistance—­for the armaments of the whole amounted to but six swivels, together with a few muskets—­but vigilance.  He was confident that Waally would lead his new friends up towards the Western Roads, the point where he had made all his own attacks, and where he was most acquainted; and the position under the Needle was the best station for observing the approach of the strangers, coming as they must, if they came at all, from the south-west.

The Anne was the first craft to arrive off the point of the Needle, and she found the coast clear.  As yet, no signs of invaders were to be seen; and the Martha being within a very convenient distance to the eastward, a signal was made to Captain Betts to stand over towards the Peak, and have a search in that quarter.  Should the strangers take it into their heads to beat up under the cliffs again, and thence stretch across to the group, it would bring them in with the land to windward of the observing squadron, and give them an advantage the governor was very far from wishing them to obtain.  The rest of the craft came down to the place of rendezvous, and kept standing off and on, under short sail, close in with the rocks, so as to keep in the smoothest of the water.  Such was the state of things when the sun went down in the ocean.

All night the little fleet of the colonists remained in the same uncertainty as to the movements of their suspicious visitors.  About twelve the Martha came round the Needle, and reported the coast clear to the southward.  She had been quite to the cove, and had communicated with the shore.  Nothing had been seen of the ship and her consorts since the governor left, nor had any further tidings been brought up from to leeward, since the arrival of Bigelow.  On receiving this information, the governor ordered his command to run off, in diverging lines, for seven leagues each, and then to wait for day.  This was accordingly done; the Anne and Martha, as a matter of course, outstripping the others.  At the usual hour day re-appeared, when the look-out aloft, on board the Anne, reported the Martha about two leagues to the northward, the Neshamony about as far to the southward, though a league farther to windward.  The other craft were known to be to the northward of the Martha, but could not be seen.  As for the Neshamony, she was coming down with a flowing sheet, to speak the governor.