ne knowing how he got there. A more awful end I hope I may never
hear of, and yet, God knows, he brought it on himself. As for Peter
Bligh, the shock set him sobbing like a woman. It was all my work to
get him on again.

"No fault of ours," said I; "we're here for a woman's sake, and if
there's man's work to do, we'll do it, lads. Take my advice and you'll
turn straight back and run for it. Better a tap on the head than a cry
in yonder pool."

They replied fearsomely--the strain was telling upon them badly. That
much I learnt from their husky voices and the way they kept close to
me, as though I could protect them. Seth Barker, especially, big man
that he was, began to mutter to himself in the wildest manner possible;
while little Dolly burst into whistling from time to time in a way that
made me crazy.

"That's right, lad," cried I, "tell them you're here, and ask after the
health of their womenfolk. You've done with this world, I see, and made
it straight for the next. If you've a match in your pocket, strike it
to keep up their spirits."

Well, he stopped short, and I was ashamed of myself a minute after for
speaking so to a mere lad whose life was before him and who'd every
right to be afraid.

"Come," said I, more kindly, "keep close to me, Dolly, and if you don't
know where I am, why, put out your hand and touch me. I've been in
worse scrapes than this, my boy, and I'll lead you out of it somehow.
After all, we've ship over yonder and Mister Jacob isn't done with yet.
Keep up your heart, then, and put your best leg forward."

Now, this was spoken to put courage into him--not that I believed what
I said, but because he and the others counted upon me, and my own
feelings had to go under somehow. For the matter of that, it looked all
Lombard Street to a China orange against us when we took the woodland
path again; and so I believe it would have been but for something which
came upon us like a thunder-flash, and changed all our despair to a
desperate hope. And to this something Peter Bligh was the first to call
our attention.

"Is it fireflies or lanterns?" cries he all at once, bringing out
the words like a pump might have done; "yonder on the hillside,
shipmates--is it fireflies or lanterns?"

I stood to look, and while I stood Seth Barker named the thing.

"It's lanterns," cries he; "lanterns, sure and certain, captain."

"And the three ripping little girls carrying them," puts in Dolly Venn.

"'Tis n