s."

"You haven't as much sense as that 'fool dawg,' Max!" retorted the
first speaker, who was none other than the swarthy ruffian, Harry
Mole. "Somethin's going on over there at the settlement or the dog
wouldn't bark. Come on, hurry; Branks may need us."

So saying, he and his companion passed by, and Alec, who had heard
every word, breathed a sigh of relief. He wished the two men were
not going in the same direction Dave and Billy had taken; but he
felt sure that the latter could give a good account of themselves
if discovered in hiding.

"But that would upset the whole scheme," he reflected. "Perhaps I'd
better sneak around, ahead of those two rascals, and warn Dave and
Billy to lie low? Or shall I---no, I've been stationed here, and
it's up to me to stick to this post."

As he watched the two men stumbling on over the uneven ground, he
wondered with a little thrill of apprehension whether they would run
across any of the other pickets, or even meet Billy and Dave returning
from their quest.

However, no such undesired event came to pass, and the two smugglers
finally disappeared behind a row of trees covered with vines.

After that, the watchful young pickets waited in silence, with only a
low-spoken word now and then as they paced back and forth under cover
to emphasize the stillness. An hour passed,---another hour,---the sun
began its slow descent into the broad bosom of the ocean. Long before
this, the _Arrow_ had slipped away a little farther up along the coast,
so that she would be out of sight behind one of the numerous islands
in case the _Esperanza_ drew near Durgan's cove.

Once the dog's barking sounded louder, and nearer, but after a minute
or two it ceased, and silence reigned over all.

"What's become of Dave and Billy?" wondered Chester.

The same question was troubling the minds of Roy Norton and Mark
Anderson, in their respective station-points; but there seemed to be
no answer to it at present.

Twilight crept upon them apace, then deepened into the shadows of
night. As they had arranged, they left their posts and assembled at
the place chosen for their landing. After hours of more-or-less
solitary watching, it seemed good to be together in council, to eat
their simple supper, and to compare notes.

In the midst of their evening meal, the faint purring of a motorboat's
engine reached their ears, and after a few minutes a boat with two
figures in it was seen approaching them,