n
instant later the topmast branches of the trees that crowned the island
became edged with a thin hair-line of burning gold, which spread with
marvellous rapidity north and south until every limb and trunk glowed
with it. Finally a level beam of golden light flashed through a dense
clump of foliage that crowned the highest point of the island, and the
next instant that same clump became swallowed up and lost in a great,
dazzling, palpitating blaze of golden light, which was the body of the
rising sun; the colour of the island changed from neutral tint to deep
sepia, and from that to innumerable subtle tones of olive and green, as
the light grew stronger, and the masses of foliage separated themselves
from each other and became distinct, until the shape of each became
perfectly defined and took its proper place in the picture. And while
these magical colour changes were in progress the deep shadow which
marked the junction of land and water dissolved until the beach once
more emerged into view, with the jollyboat still hauled up on it where
she had been left on the previous day, and round about her, to left and
right, eight big canoes, undoubtedly those which had been used in the
attack upon the schooner a few hours earlier.

While I still stood gazing, entranced, at the beauty of the new day,
Cunningham emerged from the companion way and joined me.

"Well," he said, "you will be glad to hear that I think we shall pull
the poor old skipper through, after all. I started to give him a
thorough overhaul as soon as you left me; and I found that those
murdering thieves of natives had literally cracked the poor old chap's
skull for him. I also found that a tiny splinter of bone had been
driven inward upon the brain by the force of the blow; and this splinter
I succeeded in extracting, with the result that he emerged from his
state of coma, and, after I had properly dressed his wound, went to
sleep."

CHAPTER TEN.

WE LOSE THE SKIPPER.

"I am delighted to hear it," I said, "for we have paid dearly enough
already for our folly in coming to this island, without being called
upon to pay the additional penalty of that poor old chap's life. We
have lost two of our number in the attack upon the ship, while the three
hands who took you ashore yesterday are missing--and, by the by, where
is Maybury?"

"Dead, poor chap, I am sorry to say--murdered by those treacherous
scoundrels of natives," answered Cunningham. "The