and took shelter in the lee of Green cay, while the men 

 cleaned and wiped each piece with oil before the salt 

 could do any permanent damage. 



It was afternoon before we got under way once 

 more. As we skirted the marker at the northern point of 

 the reefs and turned to follow the eastern shore, we came 

 upon a rocky headland at the extreme northeast point 

 of the island which might indeed qualify as "the piece of 

 land which is formed like an island although it is not one" 

 of Columbus's Journal. We resolved to return the follow- 

 ing day and inspect this cape and harbor with Wee Diver. 



By now the wind was blowing stronger than ever, and 

 the pale green of the reef harbor was tumbled vdth white- 

 capped waves. Sea Diver rolled unpleasantly as she nego- 

 tiated the tumultuous waters along the eastern shore, well 

 clear of the broken white water which marked the 

 numerous coral heads. There was no protective chain of 

 reefs here, and we were convinced of the riskiness of 

 attempting to reach either the sandy beaches or the al- 

 ternating projecting headlands which formed the coast. 



"Columbus would have had a tough time getting his 

 boats in to that shore," Captain Weems commented. "No 

 wonder M orison had him sail around to the other side of 

 the island." 



All day we had been on the alert for some spot in our 

 circuit of the island which might give us Columbus's im- 

 pression that "I saw so many islands that I could not de- 

 cide to which I would go first." Unlike Caicos, where the 

 many islands in the distance had been most noticeable, 

 there was not a trace or an illusion of any other islands 

 here at Watling. 



As we rounded the southwest point of the island, 

 knowing that Rum cay lay some twenty miles distant, we 

 strained our eyes in its direction. Captain Weems cHmbed 

 once more to the crow's-nest and swept the horizon with 



320 Sea Diver 



