haven't got our
game yet."

"They say he'll come ashore maybe in two or three days," said Rob.
"Meanwhile, I suppose these natives will hang around here and wait. If
they do get him, it's very likely they'll squat down here to eat him up,
and that would take all summer! I must confess I don't like the look of
it very much."

"And there's Jimmy--" began John.

"That's so! We must go and see about him."

Quietly they edged their way out of the excited throng of natives and
hurried across the sea-wall to the barabbara. Opening the door they
peered cautiously in. No motion met their gaze, and although they called
several times in a low tone there was no response. Passing into the
barabbara they searched every corner of it. No doubt remained--their
late prisoner was gone!

XVI

THE MISSING PRISONER

For a time the boys sat silent and moody in the barabbara. The
situation, as it appeared to them, was not a pleasant one. On the one
side were half a hundred natives, whose intentions they could only
guess; upon the other, as they now suspected, there might be an active
enemy whose whereabouts they could only surmise. At last Rob spoke.

"It looks this way to me," said he: "we three could not make any kind of
defence against that band of natives, but perhaps they will not attack
us. From what has happened, I do not think they will. Now, here is tea
and salt which we got from them. That proves that they trade with the
whites, which means that help may not be more than a hundred miles away
at farthest. In the second place, these people think that we are here
alone for only a short time and that our friends will soon be here. The
thing for us to do is to keep them thinking that."

"They'll be over before long," said John, "to see what has become of
Jimmy, here, the man they were after."

"I'm not so sure of that," rejoined Rob. "These natives forget any
purpose very easily; and now, as we know, they are busy watching the
whale. But suppose they do come. The barabbara is empty."

"They have not seen Jimmy at all as yet," said John. "But suppose the
bidarka is gone--he very probably took that with him."

"Let's go see," suggested Jesse, and accordingly they hurried to the
side of the lagoon. Sure enough, only the dory remained. The bidarka had
disappeared from its resting-place.

"Now," reasoned Rob, "he would be afraid to go out of the creek into the
open bay, for then they would see him sure. There is every