mara in the crow's-nest. Mrs. Johns was dozing in
her chair. The yacht was making perhaps four knots, and, far behind,
the small white light of the jolly-boat showed where she rode.

I slept heavily, and at eight bells I rolled off my blanket and
prepared to relieve Burns. I was stiff, weary, unrefreshed. The air
was very still and we were hardly moving. I took a pail of water that
stood near the rail, and, leaning far out, poured it over my head and
shoulders. As I turned, dripping, Jones, relieved of the wheel,
touched me on the arm.

"Go back to sleep, boy," he said kindly. "We need you, and we're goin'
to need you more when we get ashore. You've been talkin' in your sleep
till you plumb scared me."

But I was wide awake by that time, and he had had as little sleep as I
had. I refused, and we went forward together, Jones to get coffee,
which stood all night on the galley stove.

It was still dark. The dawn, even in the less than four weeks we had
been out, came perceptibly later. At the port forward corner of the
after house, Jones stumbled over something, and gave a sharp
exclamation. The next moment he was on his knees, lighting a match.

Burns lay there on his face, unconscious, and bleeding profusely from a
cut on the back of his head--but not dead.

CHAPTER XVII

THE AXE IS GONE

My first thought was of the after house. Jones, who had been fond of
Burns, was working over him, muttering to himself. I felt his heart,
which was beating slowly but regularly, and, convinced that he was not
dying, ran down into the after house. The cabin was empty: evidently
the guard around the pearl handled revolver had been given up on the
false promise of peace. All the lights were going, however, and the
heat was suffocating.

I ran to Miss Lee's door, and tried it. It was locked, but almost
instantly she spoke from inside:

"What is it?"

"Nothing much. Can you come out?"

She came a moment later, and I asked her to call into each cabin to see
if every one was safe. The result was reassuring--no one had been
disturbed; and I was put to it to account to Miss Lee for my anxiety
without telling her what had happened. I made some sort of excuse,
which I have forgotten, except that she evidently did not believe it.

On deck, the men were gathered around Burns. There were ominous faces
among them, and mutterings of hatred and revenge; for Burns had been
popular--the best-liked man among th