ng to shoot at some which looked like pigeons, but she
cried out, "For shame! I would not for the world have the beautiful
things killed. They trust us, and it would be a cruel return for their
confidence."

My messmate immediately lowered his gun. "You are right, Miss Bland,"
he answered; "I did not consider what I was about to do."

He shortly afterwards proposed climbing to the top of a cliff from which
he expected to obtain a view over the island to the northward. As this
was a task Mary was unable to accomplish, I remained with her while he
set off alone. As I saw by the sun that it was high time to commence
our return, I told him that we would walk on slowly towards the tents,
so that he might overtake us. I cannot say that I was exactly in a
hurry for him to do so, as Mary and I being old friends we naturally had
a good deal to talk about which could not interest him. At last,
however, it struck me that he ought to have caught us up; on looking
back I saw him running towards us. On our stopping to allow him to come
up he made a sign to us to go on. Had I been alone I should have
waited, but though I could not divine what danger threatened I thought
it prudent to hurry Mary on.

"What can he have seen to alarm him?" she asked.

"That is more than I can say, but he is not a person to be alarmed
without reason," I answered.

"It is said that these islands were produced by volcanoes; perhaps one
has just burst forth, and he fears that the lava may overtake us."

"We should have heard the noise and seen the fire and smoke if that were
the case," I replied.

"Then it is possible that he may have seen some wild beast which was not
known to exist here," she observed. "Do you think so?"

Medley, who at that moment overtook us, answered the question, "Not a
wild beast, Miss Bland, but a set of ruffians, whom it might be
dangerous for you to meet; I saw them just below me carousing round a
blazing fire, at which they had been cooking a terrapin, or some other
animal. As I crept nearer to find out who they were, I at once guessed
their character by their horrible oaths, the snatches of ribald songs
and savage laughter which reached my ears. I got near enough even to
distinguish the features of several of them, among whom I recognised Tom
Moon, the armourer, and Jos Mortis, both of whom were among the rascals
who ran off with our whale boat from Tumbez, you remember, Jack. I
think there were others of th