uplifted.
Instead of flying again in front of him, as he had expected, the bat flew
with a whirring noise past his ear. Down came the cutlass with a sudden
thwack, cutting deep into the trunk of a small tree, which trembled under
the shock and sent a shower of ripe nuts of a large size down upon the
sailor's head. Startled as he was, he sprang backward with a wild cry;
then, half ashamed of his groundless fears, he collected the wood he had
cut, threw it hastily on his shoulder and went with a quick step out of
the woods. In doing so he put his foot upon the head of a small snake,
which wriggled up round his ankle and leg. If there was anything on earth
that Barney abhorred and dreaded it was a snake. No sooner did he feel
its cold form writhing under his foot, than he uttered a tremendous yell
of terror, dropped his bundle of sticks, and fled precipitately to the
beach, where he did not hall till he found himself knee-deep in the sea.

"Och, Martin, boy," gasped the affrighted sailor, "it's my belafe that
all the evil spirits on arth live in yonder wood; indeed I do."

"Nonsense, Barney," said Martin, laughing; "there are no such things as
ghosts; at any rate I'm resolved to face them, for if we don't get some
sticks the fire will go out and leave us very comfortless. Come, I'll go
up with you."

"Put on yer shoes then, avic, for the sarpints are no ghosts, anyhow, and
I'm tould they're pisonous sometimes."

They soon found the bundle of dry sticks that Barney had thrown down, and
returning with it to the beach, they speedily kindled a roaring fire,
which made them feel quite cheerful. True, they had nothing to eat; but
having had a good dinner on board the barque late that afternoon, they
were not much in want of food. While they sat thus on the sand of the
sea-shore, spreading their hands before the blaze and talking over their
strange position, a low rumbling of distant thunder was heard. Barney's
countenance instantly fell.

"What's the matter, Barney?" inquired Martin, as he observed his
companion gaze anxiously up at the sky.

"Och, it's comin', sure enough."

"And what though it does come?" returned Martin; "we can creep under one
of these thick bushes till the shower is past."

"Did ye iver see a thunder-storm in the tropics?" inquired Barney.

"No, never," replied Martin.

"Then if ye don't want to feel and see it both at wance, come with me as
quick as iver ye can."

Barney started up as he spoke