g sounds, slept deeply.

"What was that? Ah! that beast again!" he suddenly said in a whisper,
as, some two hours later, he wakened with a start, only to close his
eyes again, for he realised at once that the shriek he had heard was one
which had often disturbed him at Cape Coast Castle--one which proceeded
from the throat of a harmless forest animal.

"Hoot! Hoot! Hoot!"

"An owl now," thought our hero, dreamily. "There it goes again, and
quite close, too. Bother the bird!"

"Hoot! Hoot!"

This time Dick sat up on his elbow, and looked about him vainly for the
bird. "Hoot! Hoot!" It came from his right, and he slowly turned his
head in that direction. Then he did a curious thing. He lay flat of a
sudden, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes vigorously.

"That's rummy!" he murmured beneath his breath. "One of the boats has
disappeared, and the others are moving away, and--what does it all
mean?"

He rolled on to his back, lifted his head cautiously, and stared at the
roof of the cabin. There was the figure of the Dutchman--immovable,
looking fantastically huge, and sprawled out at full length. There was
no pipe now to be seen, no smoke issued from his lips, while the rifle
reposed beside him. Then came a deep, muffled snore. Meinheer Van
Somering was asleep.

"Then there is some one near us," said Dick, swiftly. "Some one is
stealing the boats. I must act with caution."

He had had experience of a midnight marauder before, and he determined
on this occasion not to be so easily beaten. He rose to his knees, and
crawled along the deck till he reached the Dutchman. A moment later he
had the rifle in his hands, and had drawn back the lock. Click! At the
crisp sound some one stirred. A dusky figure stood up on one of the
boats close by, and commenced to pole lustily. Then a second stood
erect, and Dick could hear the splash as his pole fell into the water.

"Stop!" he shouted. "Bring that boat back, or I fire!"

He covered the nearest figure with his weapon, and waited, while his
shout was followed immediately by a scuffling behind him, and by the
almost instant appearance of Mr Pepson. The latter seemed to take in
the position at a glance. His eye detected the boat now so far away,
the two remaining ones being poled by the two dark figures, and the
huge, lumbering body of the Dutchman, still motionless and asleep.

"Shoot," he said, quietly.

Dick lifted the weapon again, sighted for