hey happened to have, though the
refreshment was principally black-looking pig-tail tobacco, Smith and
Wriggs having their pipes and beginning to smoke.

The hours glided on, and at first every now and then an arrow was shot
with bad aim into the natural fortification, but by degrees these were
less frequent, and at last the only sign made by the enemy was a little
group of men armed with club and spear watching them from the bottom of
the slope.

"What do they mean to do?" said Oliver. "Starve us out?"

"Seems like it," said Panton. "Well, it won't take long, unless we can
live on water. Wonder whether there are any fish below here in the
lake?"

"If there are, we have no means of catching them," said Oliver, sadly.
"I'm thinking that our only chance is to assume the aggressive now, and
drive them off the island."

"I'm afraid there would not be many of us left to do the driving, before
we had finished," said Panton.

_Boom! Crash_!

"Ah, if you would erupt in real earnest, and frighten the black ruffians
away, you would be doing some good," he continued, as the volcano made
itself evident.

"Hi, look out!" cried one of the men. "They're coming on again." For a
sudden movement was visible in the group below them, and they had hardly
seized their weapons to bring them to bear, when Smith suddenly uttered
another warning shout, as he came back from the edge of the lake to
which he had descended for a drink.

"All right, we see them," cried Oliver.

"No, you don't, sir!" yelled the sailor. "Look! look yonder."

A chill of despair ran through all as they glanced in the direction
pointed out by Smith, for there, coming rapidly round by the edge of the
lake, were some fifty of the enemy, who had evidently kept their
attention while a part of their force had managed to penetrate the dense
forest, to where they could scale the crater wall nearly on the opposite
side, and then descend to the lake, so as to come and take them in the
rear.

"What shall we do, face both ways and fight?" said Panton.

"Madness!" cried Oliver. "There's hope for us yet. This way."

He began to descend rapidly, and then led the party along by the side of
the lake, leaping from stone to stone, till he reached the spot where
the waters flowed out slowly into the cave.

"In with you, quickly!" he cried; but some of the men hesitated. "Lead
the way, Smith, and we'll cover you. Quick!"

Smith plunged in, and now his messmate