the people we should find. I mentioned this to my companions.

"Poets and romance--writers may have pictured them as you describe, but
I am afraid that we shall find the reality differ greatly from their
glowing accounts," observed Boxall. "My notion is that they are a set
of utter barbarians, who will rob us of everything we possess, and only
feed us for the sake of keeping us alive to work for them."

This was not encouraging, and I could not but hope that Boxall was
wrong.

"We shall soon find out," said Halliday. "I only wish that in the
meantime we had something to eat."

"Well, we are better off than poor Ben and Jose, who have lost their
lives," I said.

"I don't think we ought altogether to give them up," said Boxall. "Now
that we have rested, I propose that we go along the shore and look for
them. They may possibly have been carried in a different direction from
that which we took. I felt the current, though not very strong, setting
to the southward as we crossed; and if they stuck to the raft, or any
portion of it, not being aware that they could wade, they would be
carried in that direction. I have been thinking the matter over, and
believe that they may possibly have escaped."

As Boxall founded his opinion on sound grounds, I began to hope that Ben
might still be in the land of the living; and as Halliday said he felt
strong enough to walk, we set off along the shore. We every now and
then shouted out, "Ben Blewett, ahoy! ahoy!" joining our voices to send
them to a greater distance. But no answer came.

"I am afraid poor Ben must be lost," I said.

"He is not within hearing,--or, at all events, we are not within hearing
of him; but let us still persevere. Had it not been for him, we should
have lost our lives; and we are bound on every account to do our utmost
to find him," observed Boxall.

We accordingly dragged on our weary feet through the yielding sand.
Walking was now excessively fatiguing, as the sea had come up and
covered that part of the shore which had been hardened by the constant
washing of the water over it. Again we stopped and shouted, "Ben
Blewett, ahoy! ahoy!" We waited, hoping against hope that a reply would
come.

"I am so tired, I must sit down and rest for a few minutes," said
Halliday. Boxall and I acknowledged that we felt much in the same
condition, so we threw ourselves down on the sand. Scarcely had we lain
down when the sound of a voice reached our ears