sun it was some
minutes before it occurred to him that it would be tropic night almost
directly after, and that his companions should be roused. At the same
moment came the recollection of why they were there, but without the
strange confusion from which he had before suffered, the long sleep
having carried it off.

The others started into wakefulness at a touch, and stood staring at him
helplessly.

"Are you ready to try again?" he said in a low voice full of emotion.

"Yes," came spoken simultaneously.

"Then come on, we must find him now."

He took a step or two forward, and the others followed, but a moment
later Smith seized him by the arm.

"No, sir," he cried. "It won't do, and I should be no man if I let you
go."

"Loose my arm!" cried Panton, angrily. "Recollect, sir, who you are!"

"I do, sir," said the man stoutly; "but you're not my officer, only a
passenger; and if our poor old captain was alive, or if Mr Rimmer was
here, he'd say I was quite right."

"What do you mean, sir?" cried Panton, whom the exposure to the mephitic
gases had left irritable and strange.

"I mean, sir, as it's my dooty to stop you from going to sartain death,
and you may say what you like, and call me what you like, but me and my
mate, Billy Wriggs, is going to stop you, so there."

"Such insolence!" cried Panton angrily.

"All right, sir. You're going to do as I do, aren't you, Billy?"

"Course I am, Tommy. And you give in, sir. He's got a horful long head
has Tommy Smith, and what he says is right; we aren't going to let you
go."

"Cowards!" cried Panton angrily.

"That's right, sir, you just go on like that a bit, and call us names.
It'll ease your mind ever so. We don't mind, do we, Billy?"

"Not us," growled Wriggs. "He's right, sir. Give it to us."

"Brutes!" cried Panton, as the darkness began to approach with wonderful
speed. "Here, Drew, we must go together. We cannot desert our comrade
at a time like this."

"No," said Drew, "it would be the act of cowards if we could do
anything; but the men are right. You cannot go."

"What? You side with them? Cowards! Yes, worse. How could we ever
face his friends unless we had striven to the last?"

"We have striven to the last, man. Look! In a few minutes it will be
black night, and to attempt to plunge into that horrible vapour would be
madness, weakened and overwrought as we are."

"I thought so," cried Panton. "The poor fellow has but o