n on my bare head, to offer
any assistance.

Presently the white-haired man seemed to recollect my presence,
and came up to me.

"You look," said he, "as though you had scarcely breakfasted."
His little eyes were a brilliant black under his heavy brows.
"I must apologise for that. Now you are our guest, we must
make you comfortable,--though you are uninvited, you know."
He looked keenly into my face. "Montgomery says you are an educated man,
Mr. Prendick; says you know something of science. May I ask what
that signifies?"

I told him I had spent some years at the Royal College of Science,
and had done some researches in biology under Huxley. He raised
his eyebrows slightly at that.

"That alters the case a little, Mr. Prendick," he said,
with a trifle more respect in his manner. "As it happens,
we are biologists here. This is a biological station--of a sort."
His eye rested on the men in white who were busily hauling the puma,
on rollers, towards the walled yard. "I and Montgomery, at least,"
he added. Then, "When you will be able to get away, I can't say.
We're off the track to anywhere. We see a ship once in a twelve-month
or so."

He left me abruptly, and went up the beach past this group, and I
think entered the enclosure. The other two men were with Montgomery,
erecting a pile of smaller packages on a low-wheeled truck.
The llama was still on the launch with the rabbit hutches;
the staghounds were still lashed to the thwarts.
The pile of things completed, all three men laid hold of the truck
and began shoving the ton-weight or so upon it after the puma.
Presently Montgomery left them, and coming back to me held out
his hand.

"I'm glad," said he, "for my own part. That captain was a silly ass.
He'd have made things lively for you."

"It was you," said I, "that saved me again".

"That depends. You'll find this island an infernally rum place,
I promise you. I'd watch my goings carefully, if I were you.
_He_--" He hesitated, and seemed to alter his mind about what
was on his lips. "I wish you'd help me with these rabbits,"
he said.

His procedure with the rabbits was singular. I waded
in with him, and helped him lug one of the hutches ashore.
No sooner was that done than he opened the door of it, and tilting
the thing on one end turned its living contents out on the ground.
They fell in a struggling heap one on the top of the other.
He clapped his hands, and forthwith they went off with