of the deep bay in which
the ship lay formed a dark wall round her, from which, ever and anon,
came strange sounds; but no human voices were heard to denote that the
country was inhabited. Still, a strict watch was wisely kept, for the
silence which reigned was no proof that the savages were at a distance.

Meantime, preparations were made for the proposed expedition; the
captain would willingly have led it, but Roger persuaded him to remain
on board and look after the ship. "Half a dozen men, with you to
command them, will be of more avail than a score without you," he
observed; "we may thus take twenty with us and leave enough in charge of
the boat."

To this the captain at length assented, knowing well that he could not
move as fast, nor endure as much fatigue as his younger companions. At
dawn the boat shoved off, each man carrying provisions for a week's
march, with a further supply in the boat, to be ready should they
exhaust their stock before they could return to her. Twenty men,
besides the two leaders and Oliver Dane, were to form the expedition.
The rest were to remain in the boat. Quitting the river, Ben Tarbox
piloted them to the very spot where he and his companion had received
Batten on board their boat.

"That is the direction from whence we saw him coming," he said, pointing
to the north-west; "and by his account he had been making, as far as he
could judge, pretty straight for the shore, as he had the sun, when it
rose, directly in his eyes, and he thus knew that he was holding on to
the eastward."

"Then we will march in the direction from whence he came," said Roger.
"On, lads!" he exclaimed, having given his last orders to the crew to
lie off the shore at anchor, and to allow no Indians on board under any
pretext till his return. The forest was tolerably open, and the boat's
compass enabled them to keep the course they desired. No wigwams were
seen, nor cultivated fields, nor did any natives make their appearance.
Now and then a deer started from before them: Roger and Vaughan were too
careful leaders to allow their men to chase the animals, lest the
natives might take the opportunity of setting upon them while thus
separated. "Better empty insides than cloven skulls, lads," observed
Roger; "ere long we shall have a deer crossing our path near enough to
bring it down without the risk of being taken at a disadvantage."

The men, seeing the wisdom of this, marched forward without complain