put up with. Death in any way would be aisy, compared
to what they 'ad to hendure. Poor Jim! I suppose he's dead long ago.
Tough as I be myself, I don't believe I could a stood it a week,--let
alone tin years. Talk o' knockin' about like a Turk's head. They were
knocked about, an' beat, an' bullied, an' kicked, an' starved,--worse
than the laziest lubber as ever skulked about the decks o' a ship. No,
Masther Terry, we mustn't think av thryin' to find the owner av the
beest; but do everythink we can to keep out o' the way av both him and
his."

"What would you advise us to do, Bill?"

"I don't know much 'bout where we be," replied the sailor; "but
wheresomever it is, our best plan are to hug by the coast, an' keep
within sight o' the water. If we go innard, we're sure to get lost one
way or t' other. By keepin' south'ard we may come to some thradin' port
av the Portagee."

"We'd better start at once, then," suggested the impatient Terence.

"No, Masther Terry," said the sailor; "not afore night. We musn't leave
'eer till it gets dark. We'll 'ave to thravel betwane two days."

"What!" simultaneously exclaimed the three midshipmen. "Stay here till
night! Impossible!"

"Aye, lads! an' we must hide, too. Shure as ye are livin' there'll be
somebody afther this sthray kaymal,--in a wee while, too, as ye'll see.
If we ventured out durin' the daylight, they'd be sure to see us from
the 'ills. It's sayed, the thievin' schoundrels always keep watch when
there's been a wreck upon the coast; an' I'll be bound this beest
belongs to some av them same wreckers."

"But what shall we do for food?" asked one of the party; "we'll be
famished before nightfall! The camel, having nothing to eat or drink,
won't yield any more milk."

This interrogative conjecture was probably too near the truth. No one
made answer to it. Colin's eyes were again turned towards the beach.
Once more he directed the thoughts of his comrades to the shell-fish.

"Hold your hands, youngsthers," said the sailor. "Lie close 'eer behind
the 'ill, an' I'll see if there's any shell-fish that we can make a meal
av. Now that the sun's up, it won't do to walk down there. I must make a
crawl av it."

So saying, the old salt, after skulking some distance farther down the
sand gully, threw himself flat upon his face, and advanced in this
attitude, like some gigantic lizard crawling across the sand.

The tide was out; but the wet beach, lately covered by the sea,