himself. "Just
for a few seconds. I--I'll--"

Andy was asleep and in the shelter where the prisoner lay bound there
was a movement. Eager and cruel eyes watched the lad on guard. Both
Andy and Frank were slumbering now.

"It's my only chance," murmured the man as he heard their heavy
breathing. "My only chance." Then he began rolling over and over on
the sand, out of his shelter.

CHAPTER XXIX

"SAIL HO!"

Frank, in the heavy slumber that had come to him as soon as his watch
was over, seemed to smell something burning. It was like the mingled
odor of charred rope and scorched leather and came pungently to his
nose.

At first he paid no heed to it, but turned restlessly in his slumber to
compose himself more comfortably on the bunch of seaweed that served as
his bed. Then the odor became stronger.

"Andy must be too near the fire, and is burning his shoes," he thought
in a sort of hazy way. "He ought to be more careful. I guess--"

Frank was wide-awake in a moment, for he heard some one exclaim aloud
as if in pain.

"What's that?" cried the lad, sitting up. The smell of burnt leather
and rope was even more noticeable. Frank peered out of the shelter
toward the campfire.

A strange sight met his eyes. There was Andy fast asleep, and there
was the mysterious man, lying at full length on the sand, holding his
rope-bound feet as near to the blaze as he dared. He was burning off
the cords that bound his legs that he might be free, and it was the
smell of charred rope and leather that had awakened Frank.

The explanation came to him in an instant. The man had seen Andy fall
asleep. He had rolled from his shelter over and over on the sand and
had gotten near enough to the blaze to nearly, accomplish his purpose.
Frank dashed out.

"Andy! Andy!" he called. "Wake up, our prisoner is trying to get
away!"

The man, with a snarl of rage, tried to burst the ropes that still held
his legs, but they were not yet burned enough to break. He had not
risked loosening his hands in that way.

Frank, in another instant, was beside their prisoner. He had a spare
piece of rope, and this he quickly passed about the man's ankles, for
fear some of the other strands had become weak.

"What's the matter?" demanded Andy, rubbing his eyes and leaping up.
"Did I fall asleep? Did he get away?"

"You were asleep all right," replied Frank, "But he didn't escape. I
guess we'll have to both watch after this