Altogether, I saw five ships pass in this way during my sojourn on the island, but they were always too far out at sea to notice my signals.

One of these vessels I knew to be a man-o'-war flying the British ensign.

I tried to rig up a longer flag-staff, as I thought the original one not high enough for its purpose.

Accordingly I spliced a couple of long poles together, but to my disappointment found them too heavy to raise in the air.

Bruno always joined in my enthusiasm when a sail was in sight; in fact, he was generally the first to detect it, and he would bark and drag at me until he had drawn my attention to the new hope.