deal more than
usual when they were permitted to break their fast.

After breakfast, while they were seated outside the door of their hut
smoking, Jack smoked his pipe alone by the margin of the river, about
fifty yards off.

"Monsieur be meditating of something this morning," observed little
Francois Xavier, glancing at Rollo with a twinkle in his sharp grey eye.

"He may meditate on what he likes, for all that _I_ care," said Rollo
with a scornful laugh. "He'll find it difficult to cow _me_, as I'll
let him know before long."

Ladoc coughed, and an unmistakable sneer curled his lip as he relighted
his pipe. The flushed face of Rollo showed what he felt, but, as
nothing had been _said_, he could not with propriety give vent to his
passion.

At that moment Jack Robinson hailed Ladoc, who rose and went towards
him. Jack said a few words to him, which, of course, owing to the
distance, could not be heard by the men. Immediately after, Ladoc was
seen to walk away in the direction of an old Indian burying-ground,
which lay in the woods about a quarter of a mile from the fishery.

Five minutes later Jack hailed Rollo, who obeyed the summons, and after
a few words with his master, went off in the same direction as Ladoc.
There seemed something mysterious in these movements. The mystery was
deepened when Jack hailed Francois Xavier, and sent him after the other
two, and it culminated when Jack himself, after allowing five minutes
more to elapse, sauntered away in the same direction with a stout cudgel
under his arm. He was soon lost to view in the woods.

Each of the three men had been told to go to the burying-ground, and to
wait there until Jack himself should arrive. Ladoc was surprised on
receiving the order, but, as we have seen, obeyed it. He was more than
surprised, however, when he saw Rollo walk into the enclosure, and still
more astonished when Francois followed in due course. None of the three
spoke. They felt that Jack would not keep them long in suspense, and
they were right. He soon appeared--smoking calmly.

"Now, lads," said he, "come here. Stand aside, Francois. I have
brought you to this place to witness our proceedings, and to carry back
a true report to your comrades. Ladoc and Rollo, (here Jack's face
became suddenly very stern; there was something _intense_, though not
loud, in his voice), you have kept my men in constant hot water by your
quarrelling since you came together. I mea