p would
come."

"As bad for us as for the blacks, man. But what are we to do?"

"I don't know. What do you say to keeping on along the edge till we are
opposite to the brig, and then making a rush as you did before?"

"Seems our only chance."

"Or wait till dusk and then try?"

"No, they want our help at the brig as badly as we want theirs. I think
we had better creep on slowly. If we are seen, we must let the enemy
come close, and then give them four barrels and rush. They'll cover us
from the brig."

The plan was decided upon, and keeping along the edge of the forest,
they went cautiously on, sensible now that the tremulous motion of the
earth was on the increase, while in addition there came a short sharp
report from the mountain.

"Won't this scare the niggers?" said Drew as they stopped to
reconnoitre.

"It doesn't seem to," replied Oliver, as they peered between the trunks
of some newly-sprung-up palms. "They're taking it coolly enough."

The blacks were in fact walking about, now gazing toward the brig, now
along the opening toward the sea.

"Why, I know," cried Drew; "they're waiting for their friends whom we
saw. When they come there'll be a general attack."

Oliver was silent for a few moments, as he stood watching the movements
of the blacks.

"That's it," he said at last. "Then our plan is to get to the brig at
once."

He led on now till they were as near as they could get, and as they
stood in the dark shadow of the forest the question was, had the enemy
sense enough to invest the vessel and plant sentries all round? If they
had, the difficulties were greatly increased; and to solve this problem,
Oliver made his companion wait, sheltered by a great tree, while he
crept right to the edge to investigate.

"You'll come back?" said Drew.

"I will if I am left alive," said Oliver, quietly, and then he turned
his head and was in the act of drawing out his little glass to watch the
actions of a couple of sun-birds playing merrily about in a narrow sunny
beam of light, but he checked himself; half-laughing the while. "Use is
second nature," he said, and, leaving his gun with Drew, he went down on
hands and knees and crept cautiously along, dislodging beetles, lizards,
and more natural history specimens in a few yards than he would in an
ordinary way in a day.

In a few minutes he was at the extremity of and beneath a great bough,
with the brilliant sunshine before him, the darkness o