was one of disappointment. The shores were perfectly flat, and,
seen from the distance at which they were anchored, little except
the spires of the churches and the roofs of a few of the more lofty
houses could be seen. After the magnificent harbor of Rio, this
flat, uninteresting coast was most disappointing.

"What a distance we are anchored from the shore!" Hubert said, when
they had recovered a little from their first feeling. "It must be
three or four miles off."

"Not so much as that, Hubert," Maud, who was just a little fond of
contradicting, said; "not more than two miles, I should think."

Hubert stuck to his opinion; and as the captain came on deck they
referred the matter to him.

"The distance of objects across water is very deceiving," he said.
"It is from eight to nine miles to those buildings you see."

Maud looked rather crestfallen, and Charley asked, "Why do we
anchor such a long way off, captain?"

"Because the shore is so flat that there is no water for us to get
in any closer. In a couple of hours you will see boats coming out
to fetch you in; and unless it happens to be high tide, even these
cannot get to the beach, and you will have to land in carts."

"In carts, Captain Trevor?" they all repeated; "that will be a
strange way of landing."