THESEA'SWAY 35 



sighting Crooked or Mariguana Islands, or, failing these, the 

 Caicos group. At any of these we could rest, clean ship and 

 work back to San Salvador at leisure after once establishing 

 our location. We must investigate these anyway and were 

 bound to no order. On we went again. Ever southwards. Still 

 no land. The wind continued beating out of the west cutting 

 up a choppy, but not dangerous sea. Hour after hour we sailed, 

 straining our eyes for a glimpse of green turf. There was noth- 

 ing but rolling waves, yellow patches of sargassum weed and 

 white caps. Several times Coleman climbed to the masthead. 

 He could see nothing. Crooked and Mariguana were nowhere 

 visible. Caicos then. Noon showed us to be exactly on the 

 Caicos latitude. Water, everywhere water. We had never be- 

 fore realized that there was so much of it in the world. 



Disgusted, we busied ourselves about the ship. At least we 

 couldn't miss Hispaniola. We would sight it at sunrise. Cole- 

 man went below to tend to some duties and I became interested 

 in the wheel ropes that had slackened badly and needed atten- 

 tion. Already the sun was setting, lowering in great banks of 

 orange and red cloud. In a few moments it would be dark and 

 I wanted to have the rudder in good shape. Busily I worked on, 

 tightening the hne and adjusting it about the drum. Casually 

 I looked up. 



There, strewn over the horizon, was land. Little mounds of 

 it stretching in isolated lumps far in both directions. 



"Land," I yelled down the companionway. 



Coleman came bounding out and swarmed up the mast. It was 

 land all right, good solid land silhouetted by the sinking sun. 

 We had never thought that land could look so good. With big 

 grins we shook hands in congratulation. Coleman went below 

 again and returned a moment later with a pencil and a piece 

 of soggy paper to make a sketch. He said it was such a pleasant 



