About midnight there was a bright moon sailing overhead, and De Sylva
gave a low order that they were to form in Indian file. Marcel led,
the ex-President himself followed, with San Benavides, Coke, and Hozier
in close proximity. Domingo brought up the rear, in order to prevent
straggling, and assist men who might stray from the path.
Avoiding the cultivated land surrounding the creek, the party struck up
the hillside. A few plodding minutes sufficed to clear the trees and
dense undergrowth. A rough, narrow path led to the saddle of the
central ridge. They advanced warily but without any real difficulty.
Hozier took a listless interest in watching the furtive glances cast
over his shoulder by San Benavides so long as the south coast of the
island was visible. At each turn in the mountain track the Brazilian
officer searched the moonlit sea for the agreed signal. At last, when
the northern side also came in sight, and the whole island lay spread
before them, San Benavides resigned himself to the inevitable. For a
little while, at least, he was perforce content to survey events
through the eyes of his companions, and throw in his lot irrevocably
with theirs.
Roughly speaking, Fernando Noronha itself, irrespective of the group of
islands at its northeasterly extremity, stretches five miles from east
to west, and averages a mile and a half in width.
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