thing. The skipper never thought 'bout going far
away from here, I s'pose, and there's precious little wood, so I'll tell
the cook he's to let it off easy, if so be as you says I am."

"Yes, of course, Strake. Tell him."

"Ay, ay, sir. We may have the luck to get some drift timber chucked up
among the rocks; but if we do it'll want a deal o' drying 'fore it's
good to burn."

"No, we must not reckon on that."

"Arter seeing to these two or three little things 'cordin' to your
orders, sir, I should say that you've got as snug a little fort to hold
as any one could wish, and all you'll want then is a sight o' the enemy
to make you quite happy."

The boatswain ceased speaking, and Syd stood laughing to himself, but
treasuring up what had been said, as the wind swept overhead, and the
waves kept on thundering in over the natural pier; though strangely
enough the noise of the waves at this end of the gap also passed right
up and away, so that it was possible to talk in a low tone, and hear the
slightest sound anywhere near.

They had been standing like this for some time when Syd suddenly laid
his hand on the boatswain's arm.

"What's that?" he said, in a low whisper.

"Dunno, sir," whispered back the boatswain. "Trying to make out. I
heard it twyste afore. What did it sound like to you?"

"One stone striking against another."

"That's it, sir, exact. Don't say any more here. It'll only scare yon
chap. Sailors is easily frightened 'bout what they don't understand."

They stood listening for some few minutes, but there was no farther
sound, so they bade the man on guard keep a sharp look-out, though for
what Syd could not have said, and turned to go up to the tent and see if
Mr Dallas was awake.

As they approached the place where the fire had been, a faint waft of
the wind passed down the gap, and as it swept over the embers they
brightened up, and shed sufficient light for Syd to see something
creeping softly by the spot.

Syd caught the boatswain's arm, and a gentle tap from the rough fellow's
hand seemed to express that he knew, and had noticed. This was so
evidently the object that had twice before been seen, that now was the
time to convince themselves whether it was human, or some quadruped
dwelling on the rock.

"If I whisper," thought Syd, "it will take alarm, I know."

He caught the boatswain's arm again and tried to draw him away back into
the darkness. For the moment Strake resisted, t