Mr. Leach looked in the required direction, and he, too, fancied he saw
something in motion on the margin of the bank. At the point where the
wreck lay, the beach was far from wide, and her flying jib-boom, which was
still out, projected so near the low acclivity, where the coast rose to
the level of the desert, as to come within ten feet of the bushes by which
the latter was fringed. Although the spar had drooped a little in
consequence of having lost the support of the stays, its end was still
sufficiently high to rise above the leaves, and to permit one seated on it
to overlook the plain as well as the starlight would allow. Believing the
duty to be important, Captain Truck, first giving his orders to Mr. Leach,
as to the mode of alarming the men, should it become necessary, went
cautiously out on the bowsprit, and thence by the foot-ropes, to the
farther extremity of the booms. As this was done with the steadiness of a
seaman and with the utmost care to prevent discovery, he was soon
stretched on the spar, balancing his body by his legs beneath, and casting
eager glances about, though prevented by the obscurity from seeing either
far or very distinctly.

After lying in this position a minute, Captain Truck discovered an object
on the plains, at the distance of a hundred yards from the bushes, that
was evidently in motion. He was now all watchfulness, for, had he not seen
the proofs that the Arabs or Moors had already been at the wreck, he knew
that parties of them were constantly hovering along the coast, especially
after every heavy gale that blew from the westward, in the hope of booty.
As all his own people were asleep, the mates excepted, and the boats could
just be discovered by himself, who knew their position, he was in hopes
that, should any of the barbarians be near, the presence of his own party
could hardly be known. It is true, the alteration in the appearance of the
wreck, by the removal of the spars, must strike any one who had seen it