For some little distance they could not see the opening of the bay on
account of its windings, the hills preventing them from getting a view of
the sea, but at length in rounding a wooded point they came in sight of
it.

There were reefs in front of them, at some little distance, and points of
rocks on both sides, the outer bay being of considerable size, but
generally exposed to the weather, which they were not in the inner bay.

They pushed on for some little distance, but not too near the reefs, where
they would be exposed to the force of the surf that dashed over the latter
and Jack presently pointed out a strange looking object on his right and
at some little distance.

"I should say that that was a flagstaff sticking out of the rocks," he
said, "if it were not the most unlikely thing in the world that there
should be one there. If any one wanted to plant a flag-pole they would go
up higher on the rocks, I should think."

"See if you can get a little nearer to it, Jack," said Dick. "It looks too
big for a flagstaff, but it might be the stump of a mast."

"Which is much more likely," replied Jack. "A vessel might have gone
ashore there, and show the stump of a mast above water. It is a wonder to
me that we were not in the same predicament."

"The only way that I account for it is that we were hit by a tidal wave or
the end of one, and carried right over the reefs without scratching, and
then the force of the water carried us to the inner bay where it left us