, soon obscuring the stars overhead, warning him
that he must hasten back to the camp, and urge the men to hurry on with
the huts, which might afford them some shelter from the coming storm.
He found them seated round the fires, discussing the seals' flesh. Most
of them had been too hungry to wait till it was thoroughly cooked, and
even the officers had been unable to refrain from beginning supper till
he joined them. He, however, took but a hurried meal, and then went in
search of the boatswain, who was seated at one of the fires.

"We have put up some huts for you and the other gentlemen, just in front
of the ladies' tent," said Mr Bollard. "The men refused to build their
own till they had made them pretty comfortable as things go. They will
soon, however, have theirs ready, as we have plenty of boughs cut down
for the purpose."

Harry thanked the boatswain, and told him to hurry the men on with the
work.

All hands were soon again busy, and in a short time the huts were
finished, those of the men extending on either side of the little group
intended for the officers. The three fires, with fresh fuel added to
them, burned up brightly in a row between them and the beach.

Scarcely were the arrangements for the night completed, when the rain
began to fall in torrents. The women hastened to their tent, which kept
it out pretty well, but the leafy bowers, it was soon found, formed but
a very imperfect protection. The men, however, wearied with their day's
exertion, were glad to get within, and coiling themselves up on the
rough boughs which served as couches, most of them were soon fast
asleep. Harry had Willy and Peter Patch as his companions; Captain
Twopenny and the Doctor took charge of poor Holt. Willy could not help
telling Harry of Peter's adventure with the seal, and they had a hearty
laugh at the fright he had been in.

"And so would you," exclaimed Peter. "How could I tell that the beast
was not going to swallow me up; he had a mouth big enough, at all
events."

It was some time before the inmates of the midshipmen's berth (as they
called their hut) could get to sleep. Though the leafy wall around them
sheltered them from the wind, yet the rain penetrated in all directions;
and they had to turn their collars up, and sit as close together as
possible in the centre of the hut to avoid being wetted through. For
some time they had sufficient light from the blazing fires to see, and
were able to st