the
little party. On its very last day, something occurred which took them
all by surprise.

It may be remembered that when Mr Meldrum assumed the command of the
party in the place of Captain Dinks, who was still on the sick list and
recovering slowly but yet far from well, he established certain
regulations for the employment of the men.

Amongst the several duties they had to perform, in accordance with these
regulations, was the one of keeping watch, as if on guard, for a certain
stated number of hours at the foot of a short flagstaff which had been
erected on the top of a little eminence overlooking the beach in front
of the creek--a man being stationed here regularly to report anything
that might come in sight. This duty, it may be added, had been a
sinecure from the date of its institution, nothing having ever since
been seen.

On this last day of September, however, all hands were electrified by
the look-out man calling out, just about noon.

"Sail ho!"

"A sail!" cried Mr Meldrum, quite as much astonished as the rest; and
he hurried out to scan the offing. However, he could not see anything,
and thought the man must have been asleep at his post and dreaming. "Do
you know what you are saying?" he called out to the look-out. "Where
away is this sail, my man!"

"Far off on the port side of the reef, sir," answered the sailor,
speaking quite composedly.

"What do you make it?" asked the other, as he hastened to the look-out
station, which commanded a larger stretch of the coast than could be
seen from the house--Mr McCarthy and the others following after him
with anxious curiosity.

"Looks like a boat's sail, sir; but, it's so far to leeward, I can't
quite make it out yet."

"I see," said Mr Meldrum, who had now reached the man, taking his glass
from his pocket and looking in the direction pointed out. "Yes, there
is a small boat, sure enough. By Jove," he added presently, "I wouldn't
be surprised if it were the missing mutineers in the longboat turned up
at last! Look, McCarthy, and see if you don't recognise the _Nancy
Bell's_ boat by the white streak below the gunwale."

The first-mate took the telescope and gazed intently at the approaching
object for some few moments. He then turned round and stared at Mr
Meldrum.

"Be jabers, it is the longboat, sorr!" he exclaimed at length; "and
faix, sorr, I belave I can say that baste Moody lookin' out over the
gunwale, as if tellin' thim where to