and made
chase after us, so we pulled away out to sea. What had become of the
other boats we could not tell. Your brother Jack had gone in the
captain's, and that was the last I saw of him."

"Do you think they could have escaped from the savages?" I asked,
anxiously.

"I have no reason to suppose they didn't, just as we managed to escape,"
answered Miles, "but we didn't catch sight of them again. We had sails
in our boat, and plenty of provisions, and the mate told us he intended
to steer for the Sandwich Islands, the nearest civilised place he knew
of, but that it was a long way off, and we should be a long time about
it. He might have been right, but we were still many days' sail from it
when we ran short of provisions and drank up all our water. I believe
that we should have died if we hadn't fallen in with another whaler,
which picked us up. I entered on board her, as did some of the men, but
the mate and others preferred landing at Honolulu. I served on board
her for some time. We had gone southward, having got a full ship, when
we struck on a coral reef. Though we did all we could to keep her
afloat, she went down with all hands, except the black and me, and we
managed to get ashore on Robinson Crusoe's Island, from which you took
us off."

"But can't you give me any idea as to what has become of Jack?" I again
asked.

"Not more than I have told you," answered Miles; "but my idea is that
some if not all the boats got off, though in what direction they steered
I've no notion."

I was prevented from talking more on the subject just then by being
summoned on deck, and when I told Jim he repeated what he had before
said--

"We'll find him, Peter. We'll find him."

CHAPTER TWENTY.

A MUTINY AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.

I told Dr Cockle all I had heard about my brother Jack from Miles
Soper. He seemed greatly interested, and said that he sincerely hoped
we might find Jack or hear of him, though he confessed that it was very
much like looking for a needle in a bundle of hay. Jim and I talked of
little else. We neither of us any longer thought of going home, but I
got a letter ready to send, by the first ship bound for England, to my
sister Mary, and another to Mr Troil, telling them that I had got
tidings of Jack, and much as I wished to get back, should stay out in
those seas till I found him.

My great wish now was to fall in with other whalers, that I might make
inquiries about my brother