" said the captain, "I will trust you, but you understand that you
are offering to serve me at the peril of your life?"

"It is at the peril of my life I am offering to help you, sir. Ezekiel
Huggins will not scruple about shooting me like a dog as soon as he
finds that I am actively helping you."

"Then I must place you under my protection."

"If you please," said the planter gravely. "Your officer here will give
me the credit of being upon your side from the first."

"Yes," said Mr Anderson; "I do that."

"Then I will go back home at once," said the planter, "and I shall look
to you as a friend. It would be best if you sent a boat and men to lie
up in the little river. When will you land?"

"At once," said the captain, and he walked slowly to the gangway with
his visitor, saw him into his boat, where, in quite man-o'-war fashion,
the black crew sat with oars erect, ready to lower them with a splash
and row off for a few dozen yards, and then rest while the first cutter
was lowered again with a well-armed crew, including a couple of marines.

"You will take command, Mr Murray," said the captain, "and take note of
everything, being well on your guard. I trust to your discretion."

Murray listened, conscious the while that Roberts was looking on
scowling blackly.

"In four hours you will be relieved."

"That means you're to take my place," said the middy, telegraphing with
his eyes, greatly to the improvement of his brother middy's aspect.

"Off with you!" was the next command, and as the sailors lowered their
oars, the black crew waiting received their orders to start, leading off
in the direction from which they had come, the cutter following closely,
while her young commander kept a sharp lookout for the mouth of the
little river, which remained invisible, hidden away as it was by the
dense foliage which on all hands came right down to the calm, smooth
water of the great crater-like bay.

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.

ON DUTY.

"I didn't expect this," said Murray to himself, as after sweeping the
shore of the bay he once more fixed his eyes upon the well-manned boat
in front; and then he started in wonder, for Tom May, who sat close to
him astern, said in a low voice--

"I didn't expect that the captain would send us off again directly, Mr
Murray, sir."

"Neither did I, Tom; and, what is more, I did not expect to hear you say
that you were thinking just the same as I did."

"Was you, sir?"

"Yes