ng."

Charley laid back and closed his eyes, obediently, while Chris and the
captain passed out of the hut to attend to the tasks set them.

The two boys were soon fast asleep.

It was noon before Walter awoke, sat up, and looked around him. He
noted that the workers had already completed their tasks; long strings
of smoked venison strips were hung down from the roof, gourds and
copper kettle were brimming full of sweet, clean water, and all of the
guns had been freshly cleaned and oiled.

Treading softly so as not to awaken his chum, Walter passed out of the
hut.

The captain and Chris were busily engaged in trying to dispatch a pot
of venison stewed with yams, and Walter lost no time in joining them.

"Well, we are all through," observed the captain as he took a second
helping of stew. "We would have called you to dinner, but I reckoned
the sleep would do you more good. How do you feel now?"

"All right," Walter answered. "You should have left some of that work
for us to do, Captain."

"I reckon you will have enough to do before we get a chance to leave
this island," said the old sailor with a sigh. "If you are through,
Chris, take your gun and go down to the landing and keep a sharp
lookout. Those fellows had ought to be here this afternoon, some time.
I will come down and spell you in a couple of hours."

"You had better go in and get a nap yourself, Captain, while there is
nothing doing," said Walter. "It may be all hands on deck to-night."

"I reckon I'll take your advice, lad. I was awake all last night
worrying about you boys and I can't stand loss of sleep now like you
young fellows. I will just take forty winks. Call me when it is time
to spell Chris."

Walter sat waiting until the old sailor's loud snoring proclaimed he
was asleep. Then filling a small gourd with water from the spring, he
made his way into the fort, where he righted one of the overturned
canoes and fished out a large package from under the stern and undid
its fastenings. "I wonder they did not notice it when they carried the
canoe up," he muttered.

For a long time he was busily engaged with the contents of the package
and the gourd of water. At last he gave a sigh of triumphant
satisfaction which died away as he heard Charley's voice calling his
name from the hut.

With an exclamation of impatience, he emptied out the water, quickly
bound up the package again, and thrust it back in its old place under
the canoe'