."

"A little fish?" said Syd, eagerly.

"Ah! the very thing."

"Wait a minute," cried Syd, and running out, he gave orders to one of
the men for one of the fish to be cooked for the invalid.

"Fish, eh?" said Mr Dallas, when Syd returned.

"Yes, sir; I've been--we've been fishing this morning, and caught a good
many."

"That's right, but the men must not idle; I want to give some
instructions to you about getting up that gun."

"Hadn't you better lie still and let me talk to you?" said Syd, smiling.

"No, my boy; I must not give up, in spite of being weak. It was very
unfortunate--my accident yesterday. It was yesterday, wasn't it--not
to-day?"

"No; not to-day."

"Of course not; I've been asleep, and had terribly feverish dreams. But
business, my dear boy. First of all, though, let me thank you for your
clever doctoring."

"Oh, don't talk about it, sir," said Sydney, quickly.

"But I must talk about it. How did you learn so much?"

Syd told him.

"A most fortunate thing for me, Belton; I should have bled to death.
But now about that gun. Call the bo'sun, and I'll have it up at once;
it is an urgent matter."

"It is up, sir."

"What!--How did you manage it?"

"The boatswain had it packed in a cask, and it was rolled up."

"Excellent! How quick you have been! The other must be got up too, the
same way."

"They are both up, Mr Dallas."

The lieutenant stared.

"Is this some trick?" he said, excitedly; "a plan to keep me quiet?--
because if so, Belton, it is a mistake. It makes me anxious about the
captain's plans."

"Don't be anxious, Mr Dallas. I did not like to tell you at first, for
fear it should trouble you. Don't you understand that you have been
lying here for many days and nights, quite off your head?"

"No!"

"And we thought you would die; but--but--" cried Belton, in a choking
voice, "you are getting better, and know me now."

The lieutenant lay with his eyes closed and his lips moving for some
minutes before he spoke again, and then his voice was very husky.

"No, my boy," he said, "I did not understand that. But it is quite
natural; I could not have been so weak without. Tell me now, though,
what has been done."

"Everything, sir. The guns are mounted; there are good platforms; we
have built rough covering walls and mounted a flagstaff. Everything
that Strake, Mr Roylance, and I could think of has been done."

"But the captain--did he send the surgeon asho