fter,
his breast bone seemed to cave in, as a sudden jerk and strain came on
the strap by which he was bound to the Englishman.

Instinctively he tried to squirm free, but the grip and the strap held
firm.

Then the falling motion changed into a slow rocking see-saw, coupled
with a sense of extraordinary lightness, and Stuart, looking overhead,
saw the outstretched circle of a modern parachute.

CHAPTER V

THE ISLE OF THE BUCCANEERS

Swaying in sea-sick fashion, Stuart saw the forests, far below, seem to
rise up to meet him. Under the influence of the double motion of drop
and roll, the whole earth seemed to be rocking, and the sense of the
void beneath him made Stuart feel giddy and faint. The fall was slower
than he had expected.

Soon, a damp heat, rising from below, warned the boy that they were
approaching the ground, and, a second or two later, the Englishman said
quietly:

"We are going to hit the trees. Cover your face and head with your arms.
You won't be hurt, but there is no sense in having one's eyes scratched
out."

In fact, the trees were very near. Stuart cast one look down, and then,
following the advice given, covered his face. A quarter of a minute
later, his legs and the lower half of his body plunged into twigs and
foliage. The parachute, released from a part of the weight which had
held it steady, careened, was caught by a sidewise gust of wind, and,
bellying out like a sail, it dragged the two aerial travelers through
the topmost branches in short, vicious jerks which made Stuart feel as
though he were being pulled apart. This lasted but a minute or two,
however, when the parachute itself, torn, and caught in the branches,
came to anchor.

"I fancy we had better climb down," remarked Cecil, cheerfully, and, at
the same time, Stuart realized that the belt, which had grappled him
tight to the Englishman's harness, had been loosened.

The boy drew a long breath, for his lungs had been tightly compressed
during the downward journey, and, instinctively, reached out for a
branch sufficiently strong to support him.

The Englishman, a man of quicker action, had already swung clear and was
descending the tree with a lithe agility that seemed quite out of
keeping with his quiet and self-possessed manner. The boy, despite his
youth, came down more clumsily. On reaching ground, he found his
companion sedately polishing his tan boots with a tiny bit of rag he had
taken from a box not muc