orning the sun shone as brightly as ever.

When Baxter and Lesher came to breakfast both were sullen. The mate
had wanted more liquor, but Captain Blossom had refused to give him
more than a single glass.

"You had better return to the others at once," said the captain.
"Tell them they can come over here, and then we will make arrangements
as to how all hands shall live until some ship comes to take us away."

The Rovers suspected that Dan Baxter wished to remain behind, leaving
the mate to go after the others. But Lesher would not go alone, and
off they started at noon, each carrying a good supply of food with
him, and also a pistol and some ammunition.

"I wish they weren't coming back," murmured Dora.

"I wish the same, Dora," said Dick. "But it can't be helped and we
must make the best of it."

There was a general air of relief when the two had departed. Later
on each told his or her story once more, and a general conversation
ensued regarding the future.

"Lesher is not the man I thought he would, be," said Captain Blossom.
"If he insists on getting drunk he will surely cause us a good deal
of trouble, and if I try to keep the liquor from him he will get
ugly. More than that, he has several sailors with him who are old
friends, and they like their liquor just as much as he does."

It was seen that the flag of distress was down, as already mentioned,
and after Baxter and Lesher had departed, Tom and Dick set off to
put the flag up once more.

The way was by no means easy, for the storm had washed the dirt and
stones in all directions and the path was strewn with broken branches
and torn-up bushes. On the way they picked up hard a dozen dead birds
and also saw three dead monkeys.

When the spot where the flag had been was reached they found the tree
still standing. The halyard of the flag had snapped and the colors
lay in a mass of bushes a hundred feet away.

To get to the bushes the boys had to leap over something of a gully.
Tom took the leap in safety, but Sam went down out of sight.

"Help! help!" cried the youngest Rover.

Tom looked back, to see Sam's fingers clutching at some brushwood
which grew at the edge of the gully. Then the hand disappeared and
he heard a crashing far below, for though the gully was not wide, it
was very deep.

"Sam! Sam!" he called. "Are you hurt?"

No answer came back, and much alarmed, Tom got on his knees and tried
to look into the opening. At first he could see