the stores, after which Mr.
Chalk, with the air of an old campaigner, made a small fire and prepared
breakfast.

[Illustration: "Mr. Chalk, with the air of an old campaigner, made a
small fire and prepared breakfast."]

Day by day they scanned the sea for any signs of a sail, but in vain.
Cocoa-nuts and a few birds shot by Mr. Stobell--who had been an expert at
pigeon-shooting in his youth--together with a species of fish which Mr.
Chalk pronounced to be edible a few hours after the others had partaken
of it, furnished them with a welcome change of diet. In the smooth water
inside the reef they pulled about in the boat, and, becoming bolder and
more expert in the management of it, sometimes ventured outside. Mr.
Stobell pronounced the life to be more monotonous than that on board
ship, and once, in a moment of severe depression, induced by five days'
heavy rain, spoke affectionately of Mrs. Stobell. To Mr. Chalk's
reminder that the rain had enabled them to replenish their water supply
he made a churlish rejoinder.

He passed his time in devising plans for the capture and punishment of
Captain Brisket, and caused a serious misunderstanding by expressing his
regret that that unscrupulous mariner had not rendered himself liable to
the extreme penalty of the law by knocking Mr. Chalk on the head on the
night of the attack. His belated explanation that he wished Mr. Chalk no
harm was pronounced by that gentleman to be childish.

"We can do nothing to Brisket even if we escape from this place," said
Tredgold, peremptorily.

"Do nothing?" roared Stobell. "Why not?"

"In the first place we sha'n't find him," said Tredgold. "After they
have got the treasure they will get rid of the ship and disperse all over
the world."

Mr. Stobell, with heavy sarcasm, said that once, many years before, he
had heard of people called detectives.

"In the second place," continued Tredgold, "we can't explain. It wasn't
our map, and, strictly speaking, we had no business with it. Even if we
caught Brisket, we should have no legal claim to the treasure. And if
you want to blurt out to all Binchester how we were tricked and
frightened out of our lives by imitation savages, I don't."

"He stole our ship," growled Stobell, after a long pause. "We could have
him for that."

"Mutiny on the high seas," added Chalk, with an important air.

"The whole story would have to come out," said Tredgold, sharply.
"Verdict: served them righ