But though surprised, Captain Corbet was not in the least confused, and did not lose his presence of mind for a moment.  Putting the helm hard up, he issued the necessary commands in a cool, quiet manner; the vessel went round, and in a few moments the danger was passed.  Yet so close were they, that in wearing round it seemed as though one could almost have jumped from the stern upon the rocky shelves which appeared in the face of the lofty cliff.

Captain Corbet drew a long breath.

“That’s about the nighest scratch I remember ever havin had,” was his remark, as the Antelope went away from the land.  “Cur’ous, too; I don’t see how it happened.  I lost my reckonin a little.  I’m a mile further down than I calc’lated on bein.”

“Do you know that place?” asked Bart.

“Course I know it.”

“It’s lucky for us we didn’t go there at night.”

“Yes, it is rayther lucky; but then there wan’t any danger o’ that, cos, you see, I kep the vessel off by night, an the danger couldn’t hev riz.  I thought we were a mile further up the bay; we’ve been a doin better than I thought for.”

“Shall we be able to get into Quaco any sooner?”

“Wal, not much.”

“I thought from what you said that we were a mile nearer.”

“So we air, but that don’t make any very great difference.”

“Why, we ought to get in all the sooner, I should think.”

“No; not much.”

“Why not?  I don’t understand that.”

“Wal, you see it’s low tide now.”

“The tides again!”

“Yes; it’s allus the tides that you must consider here.  Wal, it’s low tide now, an the tide’s already on the turn, an risin.  We’ve got to anchor.”

“Anchor!”

“Yes.”

“What, again?”

“Yes, agin.  Even so.  Ef we didn’t anchor we’d only be drifted up again, ever so far, an lose all that we’ve ben a gainin.  We’re not more’n a mile above Quaco Harbor, but we can’t fetch it with wind an tide agin us; so we’ve got to put out some distance an anchor.  It’s my firm belief that we’ll be in Quaco by noon.  The next fallin tide will carry us thar as slick as a whistle, an then we can pursue our investigations.”

The schooner now held on her course for about a mile away from the shore, and then came to anchor.  The boys had for a moment lost sight of this unpleasant necessity, and had forgotten that they had been using up the hours of the ebb tide while asleep.  There was no help for it, however, and they found, to their disgust, another day of fog, and of inaction.

Time passed, and breakfast came.  Solomon now had the satisfaction of seeing them eat more, and gave manifest signs of that satisfaction by the twinkle of his eye and the lustre of his ebony brow.  After this the time passed on slowly and heavily; but at length eleven o’clock came, and passed, and in a short time they were once more under way.