"I shall be glad when we have done messing about here and set to work. We look like making a long trip; at this rate, we shall not be back at Fremantle under a twelve month," grumbled¹ Phil.  
"I'm tired of doing nothing," replied Jack², "and this is a slow way of making a fortune. We ought to be somewhere near the place by now."
 
"We may have slipped past it," replied Phil.
 
"And have to return," said Jack in dismay. "That will be shocking bad luck."
 
Another three days passed, and they seemed as far off their journey's end as ever, until next morning one of the men shouted out that there was a signal on a promontory³ jutting⁴ out into the sea.
 
They rushed to the fore⁵ part of the schooner⁶, and looked eagerly at the spot. The man was right; there was a long pole with something waving at the top, evidently a signal to passing vessels⁷.
 
"It may be a very old one," said Phil.
 
"Perhaps it is Jacob Rank's signal," replied Jack.
 
"Let us hope so; anyway, we will make for it. I wonder if they have seen it on board the 'Wild Cat?'"
 
The other schooner was some distance behind, and as Jack looked through his glasses he saw no sign of excitement on board.
 
"I do not think they have," he said, "but in any case they will follow in our track."
 
The "Heron" headed for the rock on which the signal was fixed⁸, and as they drew near it they saw it was a projection⁹ of one side of the heads of a bay.
 
Their spirits rose, and Phil said—
 
"It's Jacob's Bay, I'll wager¹⁰. It answers the description exactly. Look there; the rock jutting out bare and jagged, the other side of the channel wooded and sloping gradually down. The entrance narrow, the scene from the ocean exactly as he described it. Here we are at last, boys. Give a rousing cheer; let off a few guns, and if Rank is alive that will bring him out of his shell."
 
They cheered lustily, and Jack discharged the gun several times.
 
Harry¹¹ Marton on the "Wild Cat" asked Moss¹² the meaning of the commotion¹³, and he replied "They must have found the place at last, and glad I am of it. We have had a long journey for nothing so far."
 
The "Heron" sailed steadily¹⁴ towards the entrance and as she passed the promontory they saw the flag at the top of the staff was made of an old shirt, or some such garment.
 
"It cannot have been there very long," said Phil, eyeing it through the glasses. "It has only recently been put up, so the probabilities are the man is alive."
 
The bay they entered was much larger than the former one, almost the size of Shark's Bay, and Phil expressed the opinion that it was a good place for pearl fishing.
 
Rounding the corner they saw a man who was on the look out, and he waved his arms furiously and danced about in great glee.
 
The schooner steered¹⁵ closer to the shore, and at last there came a loud shout from the solitary¹⁶ human being.
 
"By all that's wonderful, it's Jacob Rank," said Phil, and he waved back to him. "Let go the anchor, we'll row ashore¹⁷," he said, excitedly.
 
A dinghy was soon in the water, and they scrambled¹⁸ in. In a very short time they were on the sand, and Phil was wringing¹⁹ Jacob's hand until there seemed to be a good chance of their arms coming off.
 
The excitement was too much for Rank, who sat down on the beach and almost wept for joy. When he became calmer he said—
 
"What in heaven's name brought you here, Phil?"
 
"The 'Heron,' and we were sent by Barry Tuxford. We have another schooner, the 'Wild Cat,' see, she is just entering the heads."
 
"And who is this young man?"
 
"Mr. Redland. He is in the venture with Harry Marton, who is on that schooner, and we are all in it with Barry."
 
"Then he did not believe I was dead?"
 
"No. The beggars said you were drowned, when they reached Fremantle, and that there was no pearl shell to be found, but Barry didn't cotton to that yarn²⁰, so he organised another expedition to find you and your boy, and here we are."
 
"And a precious long while you have been, it seems years since those scoundrels put me ashore here, but I'll get even with them one of these days."
 
The "Wild Cat" cast anchor close to the "Heron," and Harry and Hake Moss came ashore and heartily²¹ greeted Rank.
 
"I'll tell you what it is, before we get on to business, or anything else, I should like to go on board and have a decent meal. I have not starved here, but living on turtle, birds, and eggs, is a bit too much for me. I'd give anything for a decent bit of bread and something to wash it down," said Rank.
 
"Of course," quickly replied Jack. "Here we are standing²² talking and never thinking about you. Come along, we will row back at once."
 
Jacob eagerly got into the boat, and when he put his foot on board the "Heron" he gave a sigh of relief.
 
"To a man who has been stranded²³ for weeks you have no idea how it feels to find yourself on a decent craft again. I have no ambition to be a second Crusoe."
 
Jacob enjoyed himself thoroughly²⁴, and they gave him of the best their stores could provide.
 
In the evening they were all anxious to hear how he came to be left in the bay, and what prospect²⁵ there was of finding shells.
 
They sat round Jacob, who was nothing loath²⁶ to satisfy their curiosity.
 
"It's a long story, but I'll cut it as short as possible," he said. "To begin at the beginning, when Barry Tuxford fitted me out for this job I rather fancy he had doubts as to whether I was 'kidding' him."
 ............