nning to pull round a bit, Dirk--who had
been out foraging for food--returned to our refuge in a great state of
excitement, with the intelligence that he had just seen a sailing boat
alongside the wreck. The statement greatly alarmed me, for of course I
did not believe a word of it, and my fear was that my chum was suffering
a relapse, and was again experiencing delusions. But when I suggested
this idea to him he indignantly scouted the idea, repeating his
statement and bidding me crawl to the opening of the shelter and see for
myself, if I did not believe him.

"I took his advice--it was of course the obvious thing to do--and there,
to my amazement, was the boat, unmistakably enough, with her mast
stepped, rigging set up, and sails stowed. What was more, after looking
intently for several minutes I had the impression that I caught glimpses
of one or two people moving about aboard the wreck. We watched all that
day, and the next, and the next, every moment expecting to see the boat
leave the wreck; and all that time we were trying desperately hard to
make a fire and thus create a smoke, so that whoever was aboard the
wreck would see it, and come across to ascertain what it meant; but, try
as we would, we were unable to manage it. Then one day Dirk went out to
look at a trap which he had set in the woods, and upon his return he
reported that the boat had left the wreck and was heading along the
lagoon in a northerly direction, and that there were two people in her--
a man and a boy; so we naturally concluded that it must be you and
Billy, and that you had somehow escaped drowning after all."

"Then," said I to Van Ryn, "if you saw us as distinctly as that, why did
you not show yourself on the beach, and wave to attract our attention?"

"I did," replied the Dutchman. "D'ye think I'm such a fool as to miss a
chance? But you vas not look my vay, not neither of you. Und though I
shout and yell und run along the beach you take no notice, but sail on
until at last you sails out of sight."

"That is very strange," said I, "for whenever I was cruising in the
lagoon I always kept an eye on the shore."

"Then you moost 'ave been lookin' out abeam, or ahead, not astarn, vhere
I 'appened to be," declared Van Ryn.

"Possibly," I agreed, for I saw that the man was in an aggressively
disputatious humour, and I wanted to have no words with him. "Well,
what happened after that? Go on with your yarn, Svorenssen."

"We saw