"We're on dry land in midocean, shiver my timbers if we ain't," came a
deep throated hail, which proceeded from Ben Stubbs.

"Thank heaven we are all safe anyhow," cried Frank, "this mud is
mighty uncomfortable, though."

"Well, if it hadn't been here we'd have been eaten by sharks by this
time," Billy assured them; an observation all felt to be true.

"Where can the ship be?" exclaimed Harry's voice suddenly.

"Miles off by this time," said Frank. "I don't suppose they have even
missed us and even if they have it's so black they could never find
us."

"Let's see where we are," suggested Ben, "anyhow I'm going to try to
get out of this mud. It's like a pig-pen."

His observation struck the boys as a good suggestion and they all
wallowed in a direction they deemed was forward and soon were rewarded
for their efforts by finding themselves on real dry land. By
stretching out their hands they could feel tree trunks and dense brush
all about them.

"It's no dream," declared Frank, "we are really on land. But where?"

"Maybe the ship was way off her course and we are stranded on the
coast of Brazil," suggested Harry.