the raft would only have lasted a very few days.

For nearly a fortnight after the day of the great storm I kept on
the same course without experiencing any unpleasant incident or
check, always excepting the curious threatened wreck which I have
just mentioned.

Just before dusk on the evening of the thirteenth day, I caught
sight of an island in the distance--Melville Island I now know it
to be; and I was greatly puzzled to see smoke floating upwards
apparently from many fires kindled on the beach. I knew that they
were signals of some kind, and at first I fancied that it must be
one of the friendly Malay islands that I was approaching. A closer
scrutiny of the smoke signals, however, soon convinced me that I
was mistaken. As I drew nearer, I saw a number of natives,
perfectly nude, running wildly about on the beach and brandishing
their spears in my direction.

I did not like the look of things at all, but when I tried to turn
the head of the ship to skirt the island instead of heading
straight on, I found to my vexation that I was being carried
forward by a strong tide or current straight into what appeared to
be a large bay or inlet. I had no alternative but to let myself
drift, and soon afterwards found myself in a sort of natural
harbour three or four miles wide, with very threatening coral reefs
showing above the surface. Still the current drew me helplessly
onward, and in a few minutes the ship was caught in a dangerous
whirlpool, round which she was carried several times before I
managed to extricate her. Next we were drawn close in to some
rocks, and I had to stand resolutely by with an oar in order to