Half an hour took us up within a thousand yards of the ledges: the schooner was then hove to for an hour.
"A few discharges from the howitzer might stir them up," suggested Wade.
"We _could_ do that!" exclaimed Raed.
Powder was brought up, and the gun charged and fired.

A thunderous echo came back from the rocky sides of the islands.

A second and a third shot were given at intervals of five minutes: but we saw nothing more of the _kayak_; and, after waiting nearly an hour more, the schooner was headed around, and continued on her course at about the same distance from the islands.

A gun was fired every hour till midnight.

We then turned in for a nap.
From this time till four o'clock the next morning we passed three islands: so the sailors reported.