only five men in her, who, as the
look-out man had observed, were pulling as though for their lives. The
boat, although a heavy one, was positively foaming through the water,
and the long, stout ash oars, which the men were labouring at, bent and
sprang almost to breaking point at every stroke.

"There is something very seriously wrong somewhere," said I gravely,
"and those fellows are bringing the news of it. Let them come
alongside, Simpson; but muster the _Sharks_ at the gangway to disarm
those men as they come up the side, should they happen to have any
weapons about them."

Two minutes later the longboat dashed alongside, and as the men flung in
their oars, the man who had been pulling bow sprang to his feet and
yelled:

"Heave me a line, mates, and for God's sake let us come aboard. We want
to see Mr Carter, quick!"

"All right, my bully boy," answered Simpson. "Here's a line for ye;
look out! But don't you chaps be in too much of a hurry now; the orders
is that you're to come up the side one at a time. And if you've got any
such little matter as a knife or a pistol about you, just fork it over.
Thank'e! Next man," as the man climbed inboard and without demur drew
an empty pistol and his knife from his belt and handed them over.

"Now then, my lad," said I, as the fellow faced round and confronted me,
"where are the rest of the men who left this ship yesterday? Out with
your story, as quick as you please."

"Where are the rest!" he repeated, with white and quivering lips, while
his eyes rolled and his voice rose almost to a scream. "Why, some of
'em are dead--lucky beggars! and t'others are in the hands of the
savages, away there in the woods, and are bein' slowly tormented to
death, one at a time, while t'others is forced to look on and wait their
turn. At least that's how I reads what I've seen."

"And how come you five men to be here?" I demanded. "Have you managed
to escape from the savages, or were you not with the rest when they were
taken?"

"Why, sir," answered the fellow, "it's like this here--"

"Stop a moment," I interrupted him. "Tell us your whole story, as
briefly as possible, from the moment when you pushed off from the ship's
side yesterday. Then we shall get something like a clear and coherent
account of what has happened."

"Yes, yes, that's right, Grenvile," agreed the general as he stood
beside me, very upright and stern-looking, his lips white, but the eager
light o