inst his skin. No, he's
going to let us go by. Ah! Look out!"

For as they drew nearer the sun flashed off the reptile's muddy skin,
and they could see it glide round rapidly and strike two tremendous
blows on the surface with its serrated tail--blows that had been
probably directed at the boat, but which fell short, while in its blind
stupidity it kept on thrashing the water several times after the vessel
had passed.

"Ahoy! Ahoy!" came from somewhere, seeming to echo from the trees that
covered the bank.

"Ahoy! Ahoy!" shouted Joe Cross back. "Why, that means help, sir. The
brig must be lying there, just round that bend beyond the trees."

"Oh no," cried Rodd excitedly. "We must have gone down miles with the
tide."

"Ahoy! Ahoy!" came again. "Boat ahoy!" from somewhere out of sight;
and glancing back Rodd made out that they were passing along what seemed
to be a rapid bend.

"Ahoy!" was shouted back, and then all at once, to the astonishment of
the sufferers, a couple of boats came into sight from right astern,
their occupants sending the spray flying as they bent to their oars and
seemed to be racing to overtake the gig.

For the moment the boats, quite a quarter of a mile behind, took up all
their attention, and Rodd stood up in the bows waving his hand wildly.

"There's Uncle Paul, and the skipper, in one!" he cried.

"Ay, ay, my lad; that's our old man," shouted Joe.

"And there's the Count, and eight men rowing hard, in the other, but--
but--oh, I say, Morny isn't there!"

"Oh, he's being skipper and taking care of the brig, sir," cried Joe
sharply, as he noted the boy's disappointed tone of voice.

"No, he isn't," shouted Rodd, signalling with his pole, as he saw one of
the rowers rise up in the brig's boat and begin waving an oar; "he's
pulling with the men!" And his voice sounded hoarse and choking, while,
realising this fact, the boy coughed loudly and forcibly, as if to clear
his throat.

"Here, you've ketched a cold, Mr Rodd, sir," cried Joe. "But never
mind them behind in the boats. They'll ketch us up soon. There's
another of them beauties coming at us. The beggars do seem hungry this
morning. We hardly seed any of them when we were coming up yesterday.
Why, of course, this is their breakfast-time, and the sight of us has
made them peckish. Now then, all together, lads! Let him have it."

Four poles were thrust together, with somewhat similar effects to those
on the las