That night the crew of the Miranda slept well and enjoyed the first real rest they had had since the storm.  No watch was kept, for they all thought it would be an unnecessary hardship.  The captain awoke at early dawn, and, as he stepped out of the tent, he glanced over sea and land.  There were no signs of storm, the brig had not slipped out into deep water, their boats were still high and dry upon the beach, and there was something encouraging in the soft, early light and the pleasant morning air.  He was surprised, however, to find that he was not the first man out.  On a piece of higher ground, a little back from the tents, Shirley was standing, a glass to his eye.

“What do you see?” cried the captain.

“A sail!” returned Shirley.

At this every man in the tents came running out.  Even to the negroes the words, “A sail,” had the startling effect which they always have upon ship-wrecked men.

The effect upon Captain Horn was a strange one, and he could scarcely understand it himself.  It was amazing that succor, if succor it should prove to be, had arrived so quickly after their disaster.  But not-withstanding the fact that he would be overjoyed to be taken off that desolate coast, he could not help a strong feeling of regret that a sail had appeared so soon.  If they had had time to conceal their treasure, all might have been well.  With the bags of gold buried in a trench, or covered with sand so as to look like a natural mound, he and his sailors might have been taken off merely as shipwrecked sailors, and carried to some port where he might charter another vessel and come back after his gold.  But now he knew that whoever landed on this beach must know everything, for it would be impossible to conceal the contents of that long pile of bags, and what consequences might follow upon such knowledge it was impossible for him to imagine.  Burke had very much the same idea.

“By George, captain!” said he, “it is a great pity that she came along so soon.  What do you say?  Shall we signal her or not?  We want to get away, but it would be beastly awkward for anybody to come ashore just now.  I wish we had buried the bags as fast as we brought them ashore.”

The captain did not answer.  Perhaps it might be as well not to signal her.  And yet, this might be their only chance of rescue!

“What do you say to jumping into the boats and rowing out to meet them?” asked Burke.  “We’d have to leave the bags uncovered, but we might get to a port, charter some sort of a craft, and get back for the bags before any other vessel came so near the coast.”

“I don’t see what made this one come so near,” said Shirley, “unless it was our fire last night.  She might have thought that was a signal.”

“I shouldn’t wonder,” said the captain, who held the glass.  “But we needn’t trouble ourselves about going out in boats, for she is making straight for land.”

“That’s so,” said Shirley, who could now see this for himself, for the light was rapidly growing stronger.  “She must have seen our fire last night.  Shall I hoist a signal?”