ing the gun straight, sir, and pulling the trigger. Oh
yes, sir; I can do that."

"That isn't shooting: you have to hit."

"So I suppose, sir; but some of the governor's friends, who come down in
September and October, go shooting in his preserves and over the farms,
but they don't always hit anything."

"But you will try if we want you, eh?"

"Yes, sir, if the governor orders me. And what about a cutlass? Can
you handle that, do you think?"

"Don't see why not, sir. I'm pretty handy with a carving-knife, both
with meat and on the knifeboard."

"Well," said the doctor gravely, "I hope we shall not have to come to
anything of that kind, for all our sakes."

"How long will it take us to get back?" said Jack, after a silence,
during which the thoughts of the danger seemed to be chased away by the
beauty of the shore along which they glided.

"Hours yet," said the doctor. "This wind will not last. If it would,
we might be there before the canoes."

Very few greetings passed between the two boats, for every one engaged
in the race seemed in deadly earnest. There was the possibility of the
people proving to be friendly, but as in all probability these great
sea-going canoes belonged to a fighting fleet upon some raiding
expedition, the hope in the direction of peace was not great.

About half of the way had been accomplished, when, as Jack sat watching
the foaming waves break upon the reef, he caught sight of something
misty and weird-looking apparently just on the other side, but it was
too undefined for its nature to be made out.

He pointed it out to the doctor, who gave his opinion directly.

"One of the canoes," he said. "That's good, Jack. It shows that they
have not distanced us."

A hail from the mate told them that they too had sighted the canoe from
the boat in front; but though they gazed long and watchfully, they saw
no more.

Not long after the wind dropped suddenly, came again, and then fell
altogether, the appearances being so marked that the mate had the sails
lowered, and stowed after the oars had been going for some time, and now
they made out from the boat astern that Mr Bartlett had divided his
crew into two watches, one rowing hard while the other rested.

It was all plain enough to those astern that everything was admirably
arranged, so that the well-drilled men shifted their places without any
confusion or difference in the speed of the boat, the men changing one
at a time.