uising on his first voyage
among the islands, and pronounced them to be bread-fruit.

"Let us go no further," the Peruvian said; "we have found enough good
things for one day, let us leave the rest for to-morrow."

Stephen laughed. "At any rate it is a good excuse for getting back again;
and indeed I am quite ready to do so, for I have a strong desire to see
what Jacopo has been up to in our absence, and would be willing to make a
wager with you that we don't find him at the hut."

They gathered a quantity of the bread-fruit and passed the guava bush
reluctantly.

"We must set to work to make a basket, captain," Stephen said, "we want
such a thing badly. We can each make a good-sized bag out of sacking,
which will do very well for melons and bread-fruit, but we want something
that we can carry things like guavas in without crushing them."

On their return to the camp they found, as Stephen expected, that Jacopo
was absent, and at once set out along the edge of the cliff until they
reached the point at which they obtained a view into the bay. The wreck
lay apparently deserted.

"Let us sit down and watch," Stephen said, "he may not have reached it
yet. No, there he is." As he spoke, a figure came out from the door of the
poop. "Just as I thought, captain. He has gone down to see if the gold is
there. Look at him." Jacopo was evidently furious; they could see him
waving his arms and stamping angrily on the deck, and then he went to the
side and shook his fist in the direction of the tent.

"That fellow is dangerous, captain," Stephen said gravely.

The captain nodded.

"The safest plan will be to shoot him at once."

"No, we cannot do that; we had better tell him frankly tonight that we
have moved the gold and buried it, lest the vessel should go to pieces in
a storm, that we intend to give it up to any Spanish or Chilian ship that
may come here; but that if it is a long time before we are rescued we
shall then divide the gold between us, and that he will get a fair share
of it."

"It would be better to shoot him," the captain said. "You were right, it
is evident that he has been thinking over that money, and that as likely
as not he has determined to possess the whole of it. However, we shall see
how he behaves. I may as well tell him as soon as he arrives; when he sees
that we mean fair by him he may possibly be content, at any rate for a
time, especially as he must know as well as we do how small is the cha