rs to "shake down" was
evidenced by the fact that the latter could be seen grouped together on
a little grassy knoll, the ladies and children seated upon boxes, whilst
the two men were vigorously attacking with their axes a couple of young
straight-stemmed palms at no great distance.

"What can the rascals be about?" growled Williams impatiently. "I'll
bet anything they are off skylarking in the woods, instead of hurrying
back to the ship, as they ought. For'ard, there! pass the word for the
boatswain to clear away one of those signal-guns. We'll give them a
shot by way of a reminder to quicken their motions."

The gun was cleared away, loaded, and fired--not once but nearly a dozen
times before the laggards appeared. They were seen at last, however,
hurrying down to the beach, in little straggling groups, one after the
other, and finally the boats pushed off and headed for the ship.

A quarter of an hour later they were alongside; and in another moment
the two men who had been sent away in charge stood on the quarter-deck,
confronting their angry chief.

"Come, Rogers I come, Martin! what the mischief have you been about,
keeping us dodging in the offing all this while?" demanded Williams
fiercely. "Hook on the tackles, and let us be off," he continued.

"Wait a minute, cap'n," answered Rogers; "we've a bit of news for you
that I expect you won't particularly relish. One of the men has cut and
run; and it was hunting for him that kept us ashore so long."

"Who is if!" demanded Williams.

"Why, it's Tom Nicholls, one of the steerage passengers that Blyth
shipped after we fell in with that barque on her beam-ends."

"So he has bolted, has he, the white-livered hound!" ejaculated Williams
furiously. "Well, he shall not escape us. Take your boats' crews, both
of you; give each man a rifle and half a dozen rounds of ball cartridge,
and pull ashore again and hunt the cur until you find him, and bring him
aboard here to me, dead or alive! I'll anchor the ship and wait for
you, if it takes you a week to do the job."

"Ay, ay, we'll get him before the day is over, never fear!" exclaimed
Rogers, apparently in high glee at receiving the brutal order. "Come
along, mates, and get your rifles; it isn't every day that we get the
chance of such a spree as a man-hunt!"

The boats' crews had, during this short colloquy, scrambled up the
ship's side to the deck, and had gathered round the speakers, curious to
see how