"Well now!" be said, with a twinkle in his eye, "you are. liable! to get your wish, The Chief has Just told me that there's something, wrong with his rattletrap engines and he wants me to stop for a few hours while he sets it right. I should Uke to oblige you and another out here, but I'm afraid. the bottom Just a ttle too far down for us to each it with our anchor. T-am go-Ing to run inside the Paracel Group and anchor off one of the reets where I'can get a good holding bottom. If you weren't so darned lazy) you might be able to go ashore 10 Stretch your legs."
"My novel slipped to the deck and Isat up in my chair, Paracel Island! Danger spot of the South China Seas, avoided by all ships and given as wide a berth as possible but nevertheless grave of many a stout vessel. Safe enough, I suppose, fine weather "and" in daylight "but, with their innumerable sunken reefs and shoals, a place to be dreaded in dirty weather.
"Captain" T cried, "I don't wish McLeod any harm,' but T hope he takes at least two days to get his en-, ines going again. Where do you Intend to anchor?"
We are passing the Crescent! Group right now" said Captain Ransom. "They are only about ten miles away to port, but all these Islands and Reefs are so low lying that you cannot see them till you got quite close. That's why they are s0 dangerous. If you are off your course you are right on top of them before you know they are there. We are making for the Amphitrite Group and T intend to anchor off the West side of Woody Island."
Woody Island in Sight This was very interesting to me. 1 knew that Woody Island had been exploited for guano by some Japan-fosse several years before but" that they had been put out by the Chin. ese Government who claimed—the Sovereignty of these islands. Since then several other companies, _both Chinese and foreign, had been form-fed to work the guano but all had come to grief one way or another. Either the deposits were not valuable enough or it was too difficult to get it away. Anyway it would be a wonderful experience to land and explore the island.
Captain Ransom left me to go up fon the bridge and T picked up my book but could not revive my interest in it and when, at about eleven o'clock, a message came to me to join the Skipper on the bridge. Threw it down and sprang to. my feet.
He was standing at the starboard end of the bridge and when I joined him "he pointed away ahead. There, low down on the horizon, was thin streak of white.
"That's Woody Island" he said. "We ought to be there in half an hour and if you like you can ¢0. ashore for a couple of hours after ain."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.