be difficult not to make some noise and he must not be caught. The
packers were rough men and he rather thought he had taken a risk he
ought not to have run.

Touching Drummond's arm, he slid down a slab of rock and crouched in the
gloom on the ledge below. His boots had scratched the stone, and he
listened when Drummond came down, but there was no movement in the camp.
Dropping from the ledge, he reached the shingle, which rattled sharply,
and for a moment or two he stopped and held his breath. He heard
nothing, and making Drummond a sign to be cautious, went on again. They
were now confronted by perhaps the most dangerous part of their task,
for one cannot cross a stony beach in silence and men used to the wilds
are easily wakened by a suspicious noise. Besides, the water glimmered,
and Thirlwell would have liked a darker background.

Still he meant to reach the canoes, and moved on, leaning forward to
shorten his height and stepping as gently as he could. When the stones
rattled he and Drummond sank down and waited, but heard nothing to alarm
them, and at length stopped and lay down beside the canoes. They could
not be seen now, but what they must do next was risky, and Thirlwell
wanted to get his breath. Although he had not used much muscular
exertion, his nerves tingled and his face was wet with sweat.

After a few moments, he got on his knees and felt inside the canoe. It
had not been unloaded and this was the craft to launch, although the
weight would make a difference. Lying down again, he felt along the keel
and found that the gravel was small and mixed with sand. Then he
touched something round and knew that a roller had been put under the
canoe in order that she might be pulled up without disturbing the cargo.
This was a stroke of luck, because it would help him to run her down.

He touched Drummond, and getting up seized the gunwale. They strained
their muscles, but for a moment or two could not move the craft; then
the roller jarred across a stone, there was a crunch of gravel, and she
stopped, a foot lower down. Thirlwell gasped and moved his hands to get
another grip. He thought they had made an alarming noise, but it was too
late to be cautious. They must finish the job.

"Lift her as you shove!" he said.

She went a yard, with the roller jolting in the sand, and there was a
splash as her after-end took the water. He could not understand why the
packers had not wakened, but there was no movement in