many nuggets as you can conveniently carry--say two or
three pounds' weight each of you, you know--and hand them over to me.
I'll contrive to find a safe hiding-place for them, and when the moment
comes for us to be off I'll see that they go with us if such a thing is
at all possible; then we shall not be quite destitute if after all we
have to leave the heap in the cave behind us. But don't say anything
about this to the gentlemen; Captain Staunton might not like it if he
heard that I doubted the practicability of his plan."

Blanche readily gave the desired promise, and there the matter ended for
the time.

Meanwhile the work went steadily forward at the shipyard, and by the
time that Bob was once more able to go on duty the framework of the
schooner was complete, and the planking had been begun, whilst the
battery was in so forward a state that another fortnight would see it
ready to receive the guns. Ralli was in a high state of delight; but
Bob had not been at work many days before he discovered that things were
no longer as they had been when he received his hurt. The Greek had
never been courteous in his behaviour to the _Galatea_ party, but now he
was downright insolent, and his insolence seemed to increase every day.
At the outset of the work the gentlemen of the party, that is to say,
Captain Staunton, Lance, and Rex, had been required to look on and
direct the progress of the work only, but now Lance was the only one to
whom this privilege was granted, a privilege which he scorned to accept
unshared by the others, and accordingly when Bob once more joined the
working party he found his friends with their coats off and sleeves
rolled up to the shoulders performing the same manual labour as the
rest. Seeing this, he of course did the same, and thus they all
continued to work until--the end came.

Bob was greatly surprised at this state of things; so much so that he
sought an early opportunity to inquire of Lance the meaning of it.
Neither Lance nor anyone else in the party were, however, able to give
any explanation of it; all they could say with regard to the affair was
that Ralli had been gradually growing more insolent and tyrannical in
his treatment of them until matters had reached the then existing
unpleasant stage. But he was earnestly cautioned by Captain Staunton
not to mention a word respecting it to the ladies, as it was extremely
desirable that they should be kept for as long a time as possi