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If Cyrus Harding, Gideon Spilett, Herbert, Pencroft, Neb, and Ayrton had survived, it was because, assembled under their tent, they had been hurled into the sea at the instant when the fragments of the island rained down on every side. When they reached the surface they could only perceive, at half a cable's length, this mass of rocks, towards which they swam and on which they found footing.
The surf, at the particular spot we steered for, did not break on the shore in a rolling curling wave, as it usually does, but smoothed away under the lee of a small sandy promontory that ran out into the sea, about half a cable's length to windward, and then slid up the smooth white sand, without breaking, in a deep clear green swell, for the space of twenty yards, gradually shoaling, the colour becoming lighter and lighter, until it frothed away in a shallow white fringe, that buzzed as it receded back into the deep green sea, until it was again propelled forward by the succeeding billow.
It had now grown very dark, though the constant flashes of the guns kept the scene well lighted up. The Blenny could be seen, though she had ceased firing, gliding on towards them. The pirates had been taking no notice of their prisoners for some time. The brig had got within a cable's length of them. "Now or never," cried Jack. "Alick, in case I am drowned, you'll do all I have asked you."
The broken mainmast of a ship, floating, with considerable top hamper attached, was passed within a cable's length, suggestive of a recent wreck, and inducing a thousand dreary surmises. At first it was announced as the sea serpent, but its true nature was soon obvious.
Their raft was also, it was evident, carelessly put together; and as it drew nearer we saw that the men could with difficulty keep their feet on it for the wind by this time having caused the sea to get up slightly, it rocked from side to side. They were within half a cable's length of us, when the feet of one of the men slipped, and overboard he fell.
The Snapper had been anchored within a cable's length of the Chateaugay, and Mr. Birdwing had brought Captain Flanger on board of the ship, with Percy Pierson, that the question of prize might be definitely settled by the commander, for he was not quite satisfied himself. The captain of the Snapper was still in irons, and he and his companion had been put under guard in the waist.
As we had planned so matters turned out; the two vessels entered the Cove together and simultaneously came to an anchor, the big craft upon the stern of which we descried the words Berwick Castle: Bristol anchoring about a cable's length east of the schooner and, very fortunately for those chiefly concerned, well out of our line of fire.
But this caused no separation between the two crafts; for the same breeze carried the dismantled raft now lying light upon the water at the like rate of speed; and when at length the mast stood amidships in the gig, and the sailyard was ready to be hauled up to it, there was scarce a cable's length between them.
"Not since I saw her light. She's ten mile away by now." "She'll be a cable's length astern to-morrow," said the man, significantly. "Will she?" thought Mark, but he felt directly after that he had made a slip, for he could see no way of carrying out the plans they had hatched below, and a miserable feeling of despondency came over him.
It's not the warfare I like best of the two." "Both good, Massa Easy; suppose you no steal board of polacca ship, you not see Missy Agnes." "Very true, Mesty. 'Bout ship, Mr Oxbelly." "Mr Oxbelly not good for boat sarvice," observed Mesty, showing his teeth. It was dark before the Rebiera was anchored in the outer roads, a cable's length astern of the outermost American vessel.
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