at they would have to be content with a resting-place on
some stony patch from which the water had drained, when, as they
staggered along, just within the sheltering gloom of the huge forest
trees, they stumbled upon one of the ancient lava-streams, which stopped
their progress like some mountainous wall, and a very few minutes'
search was sufficient to find the shelter they required, a dark,
cavernous place whose flooring was of volcanic sand.

"It's dry as a bone, Mr Jack, sir," said Ned, after stooping down, "and
as warm as warm. Well, sir, if this ain't sunshine after storm I should
like to know what is!"

Jack was too much exhausted to reply, and directly after he began to
follow his companion's example by stripping off and wringing his
clothes.

"Black sunshine this, Ned," he said.

"Well, sir, it is certainly; but you can't say it ain't warm. You put
your hand down on the sand."

"Yes; it's quite warm, Ned."

"Why, is this only the back-door into the burning mountain, sir?
Because if so, will it be safe?"

"Ned, I'm too tired to talk. Pray be quiet and let me think. We must
be safer than out upon the mountain side. Let's lie down and rest."

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.

A BI-STARTLER.

"What's that?" cried Jack, starting up into a sitting position, to face
Ned, who rubbed his eyes and stared.

"I dunno, sir; sounded to me like a horrid shriek."

"Yes; that was what woke me, Ned," said Jack in an awestricken whisper.
"It sounded like some one being killed."

"There it is again!" cried Ned, as a harsh, shrill sound arose from
close at hand, to be followed by a chorus of discordant cries, which
seemed to run in by them to be echoed and made more hollow and strange.

"Talk about sharpening saws," said Ned, as he hurriedly began to dress,
"why that's lovely to it. Cockatoos, that's what it is. Good job it's
daylight, or I should have been thinking that we'd come to sleep in an
awful place."

"I couldn't make out where we were, Ned, for some time. Did you sleep
well?"

"I dunno, sir. Don't know nothing about it, only that I lay down and
snuggled the sand over me a bit. Next thing I heard was those birds.
How did you get on, sir?"

"Slept! oh, so soundly!"

"And feel all the better for it, sir?"

"Yes--no, my head aches and feels sore from the blow."

"Ah, I should like to have a turn at those chaps, Mr Jack, sir; I owe
'em one, and you owe 'em one too. Perhaps we shall get a chance to