still sound, for they seemed to have been preserved from decay by the
sand. All the calking, however, had become loose, and the seams gaped
widely. There were no masts, but the lower part of the shrouds still
remained, showing that the vessel was a brig. So deeply was it buried in
the sand, that Brandon, from where he stood, could look over the whole
deck, he himself being almost on a level with the deck. The masts
appeared to have been chopped away. The hatchways were gone. The hold
appeared to be filled with sand, but there may have been only a layer of
sand concealing something beneath. Part of the planking of the deck as
well as most of the taffrail on the other side had been carried away.
Astern there was a quarter-deck. There was no skylight, but only dead-
lights set on the deck. The door of the cabin still remained and was
shut tight.

All these things Brandon took in at a glance. A pensive melancholy came
over him, and a feeling of pity for the inanimate ship as though she
were capable of feeling. By a natural curiosity he walked around to the
stern to see if he could read her name.

The stern was buried deep in the sand. He had to kneel to read it. On
the side nearest him the letters were obliterated, but he saw some
remaining on the opposite side. He went over there and knelt down. There
were four letters still legible and part of a fifth. These were the
letters:

VISHN

"Great Heavens!" cried Brandon, starting back--"the _Vishnu!_"