cted a good supply of seeds, which
might serve them as food with the help of the cocoanuts and scraps of
fish which we might leave. Mr Griffiths and the doctor had arranged to
start the next morning. All hands had agreed to do as they proposed,
which was to be up at daylight, and as soon as we had breakfasted launch
the boat and go on board.

We lay down, as we hoped, for the last time in our hut. As the island
was known to be uninhabited it was no longer thought necessary to keep a
watch. All of us slept like tops, recollecting that we should not for
many days get another thorough night's rest.

I was the first to wake, and, calling up Jim, he and I agreed to go to
the lake and fill our pot with water to boil for breakfast, knowing that
the rest would light the fire as soon as they were aroused ready for it.
There was just a single streak in the eastern sky, which showed us that
it would soon be daylight, and we knew our way so well through the grove
that we didn't think it worth while stopping till then. We carried the
pot on a stick between us, and as we had to pass among the trees, of
course we could not do so as fast as if it had been daylight. It took
us some little time before we could reach the place where we could dip
the pot in and get the water pure. We filled it, and set off again on
our way back. We had just reached the grove of cocoanut-trees. I
happened to look up at the hill where I had seen Jack the morning after
our arrival, when I saw against the sky the forms of well-nigh a dozen
savages.

I rubbed my eyes for a moment, as I at first thought it might be fancy,
and then whispered to Jim to look in the same direction and then tell me
what he saw.

"Savages," he answered, "no doubt about that."

"Then we must rouse up the rest and be prepared for them," I said.

We ran on among the trees, to which we were close, hoping that we hadn't
been seen. Still I thought that the savages must know that we were on
the island. We didn't like to abandon our pot, though we spilled some
of the water as we hurried along. Our friends were still fast asleep.

"Mr Griffiths! Dr Cockle! The savages have landed and are on the
hill out there," Jim and I cried out.

They started to their feet in a moment, and Jack and the rest of the men
jumped up on hearing our voices. The mate seemed satisfied that what we
said was true.

"Then, lads," he said, "we will launch the boat at once; we must at all
events