the dry beach.

Both offered up their thanks to Heaven for their preservation, when,
Owen's strength failing, he sank down on the sand. Langton was the
first to recover.

"Do not wait for me," said Owen. "I suppose you'll make the best of
your way along, the shore until you get abreast of the ship, unless you
can find a native boat before then to take you off to her?"

"That's what I propose doing," answered Langton; "but I will not leave
you until you regain your strength."

In a few minutes Owen declared himself able to walk.

"Before we start let us try to find out whether any natives are near;
they may be able to help us," said Langton.

They shouted at the top of their voices, but no reply was heard. They
did so, believing that all the natives were friendly in that region.

"We must get help without delay," said Langton. "That we may have a
double chance, I suggest, Owen, that you try to make your way back to
Gorontello, which cannot be more than three or four miles off, while I
go down towards the ship. If I fall in with a native boat, I will go
off at once; if not, I will make a signal from the shore with a big
bonfire, and Mr Leigh is pretty sure to send in a boat to learn the
cause. You must, in the meantime, endeavour to obtain a boat. You are
certain to find some one to interpret for you; promise a handsome reward
to those who succeed in discovering the captain and the rest."

The plan was no sooner arranged than acted on. Owen, as fast as his
legs could carry him, started along the shore in one direction, and
Langton in the other. Sometimes Owen found the sand smooth enough, but
at others he came to rough rocks, over which he had to climb. Now and
then he saw a light on his left twinkling in the distance, but he passed
no human habitation. Again and again, however, he shouted, hoping that
some fisherman's boat might be concealed among the rocks. No one came
near him, and he concluded that the people had retired for the night to
their homes. Often, overcome by fatigue, he felt inclined to stop, but
remembering that the lives of his captain and shipmates were at stake,
he pushed on, now running at full speed along the sand, and now climbing
over the rough ground.

At length, greatly to his joy, he saw some lights ahead, they showed
that he was approaching the town. "I hope that all the people have not
gone to bed. It will be a hard matter to rouse them up," he thought.
"The lights show