E BACKCUP 143

enough for rude fishermen, but not for Count d’Artigas,
Serko the engineer, Captain Spade and his crew.

Backcup was only halfa mile away. Its aspect bears
no resemblance to the other islands of the group under the
dark verdure of their hills. Only rarely in some cleft or
hollow a juniper tree appears, or some stunted speci-
mens of those cedars which constitute the wealth of the
Bermudas. The rocks at the base were covered with thick
layers of sea-wrack and seaweed continually renewed -by
the deposit of the waves; there were also enormous
quantities of the string-like seaweeds and others brought
from the sea of Sargasso and the currents between the
Canaries and the Cape Verde Islands. The only inha-
bitants of this desolate isle were birds, bull-finches, and
“Mota cyllas cyalis” of blueish plumage, while myriads of
gulls passed on rapid wing through the whirling vapours of
the crater.

When she was within two cables’ length the schooner
was slowed. and stopped at the entrance of a passage
between rocks on a level with the water.

I wondered whether the £dda were going to attempt to
navigate that tortuous passage.

No, it was the most probable supposition that after a
wait of some hours—for what reason I did not guess—she
would again resume her course to the east.

No preparations were being made foranchorage. The
anchor remained at the cathead, the chains were in their
places, the crew was not getting ready to lower the boats.

At that moment Count d’Artigas, Serk6, and the Captain