en all along here, right down to the sea, uncle. See their
tracks?"

"Yes; and I can see something else," he said, shading his eyes, and
looking to right and left anxiously in the now broad daylight.

"What can you see?" I asked.

He pointed now, and I saw what he meant.

"The marks made by a boat," I said. "Why, uncle, they must have come in
a canoe, and been attracted by our fire. Can you see their canoe?"

"No," said my uncle, after a long look round and away over the
glittering waters. "But it's bad, Nat. They will not have gone far
away, and will be coming back here in search of it."

"Then we shall have to take to the boat again and sail farther down the
coast."

"We'd better get on board, my lad, certainly," said my uncle; "so let's
roll up the tent, and--ah! look-out! Quick, lad--your gun!"

I was ready directly, cocked both barrels of my piece, my heart beating
fast in the emergency--for the danger we dreaded seemed to be at hand.

CHAPTER FIVE.

A SURPRISE.

"Ahoy! Don't shoot," came from out of the dense jungle up the stream.

"Why, uncle," I cried, "that doesn't sound like a savage."

"It's worse, Nat," said my uncle. "There's a terribly English sound
about it."

"Ahoy, I say!" came again. "Don't shoot!"

"Ahoy! who are you?" shouted my uncle.

"Don't shoot, and we'll come out," came in tones half smothered by the
thick growth.

"We're not going to fire. Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

There was a sharp brushing sound of leafage being forced aside, the
splashing of feet in water, and the soft rattle of pebbles being moved
in the stream bed by feet, and the next minute two figures came from
under the pendent bough, which nearly touched the water and stood in the
bright glow of the rising sun, while astonishment brought the words to
our lips:

"The carpenter!" cried my uncle. And I burst out laughing as I said:

"That boy!"

"Why, we took you for savages," said my uncle. "Was it you two who came
to the fire last night?"

"And you shot at us," said the boy, in a doleful voice.

"Shot at you?" cried my uncle angrily. "Of course I did. How dare you
come prowling about our tent in the dead of night!"

"Didn't prowl, sir," said the boy humbly. "We could see your fire
burning like a light as we come along, and we came straight to it,
landed--and landed--and you came out, sir--came out, sir--and fired at
us."

"Then you should have shouted."

"Yes, si