wo, and you'll be all right," said
the doctor, patting his shoulder, and Ned uttered a cry.

"Don't, don't, sir. It's agony--my bad shoulder--the arrow--and he hit
me there with his club."

"Ned, Ned," said Jack softly, as he bent over the poor fellow and held
his hand, "who could think you a coward for saving my life?"

The men began to cheer again when Ned was helped by the doctor and Jack
down to his berth, wincing at the slightest touch, for his arm had
received a nasty jar, but a smile came into his drawn face as he heard
the hearty welcome.

"Thankye, lads, thankye kindly," he kept on saying till he got below,
where the steward helped him to change his clothes, and Jack went to his
cabin for the same purpose.

"Ever so much better, sir," cried Ned half-an-hour later, when Jack went
to see him, and found him dressed and ready to go on deck. "That crack
was just like one on the funny-bone, sir, but it's all gone off now. My
eye, though! suppose it had been where he meant it! What a headache I
should have had!"

By the time Jack reached the deck, the islands from whence the blacks
came were hidden by a peculiar-looking haze, and the _Star_ was racing
through the sea to gain the shelter of the lagoon.

"A hurricane, my lad," said the captain, "and we shall get into shelter
none too soon."

"A nice hunt you gave us, Jack," said his father. "Here have we been
with half the crew hard at work every day looking for you two. Well,
thank Heaven you are both back safe and sound."

"We did our best to get back, father," said the lad, looking at Sir John
wistfully.

"Of course, I know that, my boy, and I hope you think we did our best to
find you. The doctor here pretty well lamed himself with walking."

"Of course I did," said that gentleman. "Doctors don't like to lose
their patients, do they?"

Go where he would during their run back to the harbour, Jack found the
men ready to smile and salute him with a hearty "Glad to see you back,
sir," till it set him wondering, and finding Ned forward alone, he went
to him and said something about it.

"Yes, sir, ain't it queer? I was thinking the same. I ain't done
nothing but be civil to the chaps since we come aboard, but they're as
pleased as Punch to see us back again. They're a bit disappointed
though that Sir John didn't go in for giving the black beggars an
out-and-out good thrashing."

"My father says he came for a pleasure-trip," said Jack quietly,