Well might Mark and Bob rejoice in the great feat they had just performed.  That night it blew so heavily as to leave little doubt that the ship never could have been kept at her anchor, outside; and had she struck adrift in the darkness nothing could have saved them from almost immediate destruction.  The rollers came down in tremendous billows, breaking and roaring on all sides of the island, rendering the sea white with their foam, even at midnight; but, on reaching the massive, natural wall that protected the Rancocus, they dashed themselves into spray against it, wetting the vessel from her truck down, but doing her no injury.  Mark remained on deck until past twelve o’clock, when finding that the gale was already breaking, he turned in and slept soundly until morning.  As for Bob, he had taken his watch below early in the evening, and there he remained undisturbed until the appearance of day, when he turned out of his own accord.

Mark took another look at the sea, reefs and islands, from the main-topmast cross-trees of the ship, as she lay in her new berth.  Of course, the range of his vision was somewhat altered by this change of position, and especially did he see a greater distance to the westward, or towards the lee side of the reefs.  Nothing encouraging was made out, however; the young man rather inclining more to the opinion than he had ever done before, that the vessel could not be extricated from the rocks which surrounded her.  With this conviction strongly renewed, he descended to the deck, to share in the breakfast Bob had set about preparing, the moment he quitted his cat-tails; for Bob insisted on sleeping in the forecastle, though Mark had pressed him to take one of the cabin state-rooms.  This time the meal, which included some very respectable ship’s coffee, was taken on the cabin-table, the day being cloudless, and the sun’s rays possessing a power that made it unpleasant to sit long anywhere out of a shade.  While the meal was taken, another conversation was held touching their situation.

“By the manner in which it blew last night,” Mark observed, “I doubt if we should have had this comfortable cabin to eat in this morning, and these good articles to consume, had we left the ship outside until morning,”

“I look upon it as a good job well done, Mr. Mark,” answered Bob.  “I must own I had no great hopes of our ever getting here, but was willing to try it; for them rollers didn’t mind half-a-dozen reefs, but came tumbling in over them, in a way to threaten the old ’Cocus with being ground into powder.  For my part, sir, I thank God, from the bottom of my heart, that we are here.”

“You have reason to do so, Bob; and while we may both regret the misfortune that has befallen us, we had need remember how much better off we are than our shipmates, poor fellows!—­or how much better we are off than many a poor mariner who loses his vessel altogether.”

“Yes, the saving of the ship is a great thing for us.  We can hardly call this a shipwreck, Mr. Mark, though we have been ashore once; it is more like being docked, than anything else!”