about two o'clock
At one o'clock Carera called down through the sky-light that we were about to make for the open sea again , whereupon we proceeded on deck to watch the passage of the felucca out through the northern channel . This was simply a pleasant repetition of our morning 's experience for a run of about three miles ; after which we found ourselves at sea again , indeed , but with still a very awkward passage of some nine miles to make over an extensive shoal before we could reach deep water . We had a most disagreeable time of it for the first half-hour , for , though we were under the lee of a couple of islands , a heavy swell was setting in from seaward , the white water was all round us in every direction , and a very sharp eye was needed at the con , and an equally quick hand at the tiller , to prevent the little craft from beating her bottom in on the coral . After that , however , the water gradually deepened ; and about two o'clock , to everybody 's intense relief , we found ourselves once more in open water , with no sign of the frigate , or indeed of a sail of any kind , anywhere within sight . For the remainder of that day and during the ensuing night our course led us to the northward and westward close along the northern edge of the great shoal , dotted with its multitudinous _ cayos _ and _ cays _ , which commences some thirty miles to the eastward of the Boca de Guajaba , through which we had run to escape the frigate 's boats , and extends right along the north-eastern coast of Cuba to its most northerly point , terminating at Maya Point at the entrance to Matanzas Bay . These cays lie so thickly scattered along the coast , and are so close to each other , that they afford innumerable places of shelter with snug anchorage for small craft ; whilst , from the fact that they are all situated well within the outer limit of the shoal , they are unapproachable except by vessels of exceedingly light draught ; I was therefore not at all surprised to learn from Carera that they were infested by a perfect nest of pirates , who , in feluccas and schooners of great speed and shallow draught of water , were wont to sally forth for a few days ' cruise in the Gulf of Florida , or among the Bahamas , to prey upon the shipping bound into and out of the Gulf of Mexico ; returning to their depots after every successful raid , and landing their booty there , so that , in the event of their encountering a man-of-war , nothing of an incriminating character might be found on board them . I asked Carera whether he was never afraid that some of these free-and-easy gentlemen might some time or another take it into their heads to overhaul the _ Pinta _ , on the chance of her happening to have on board something worth taking ; to which he replied , with a laugh , that he had no fear whatever of any such thing ; the pirates always respected such traders as happened to be engaged in dealing with any of the fraternity , these traders having a means of making their characters known to any suspicious - looking craft which might happen to manifest a too curious interest in their movements .