guards cast off from the ship," he said, "we scudded
away in a sort of ocean mill-race which threatened to upset us at any
moment. In fact, we gave up hope for a time, but, as the boat kept
afloat, Mr. Malcolm and I managed to stir up the Chileans, and we got
them to steady her with the oars. Some time before daybreak we ran
into smooth water, and made out land on the port bow. In a few minutes
we were ashore on a pebbly beach, in a place alive with seals. When
the sun rose we found we were on a barren island, and, what was more,
that one of the ship's life-boats had been upset on a reef which we
just missed, and had lost all her stores, though the men had scrambled
into safety. With the aid of our boat, and helped by fine weather, we
raised the life-boat, and recovered some of her fittings. The
water-casks and tins of food were hauled up by a chap who could dive
well. We have been on that lump of rock until today, when I finally
persuaded the others that unless we made for the land which we could
see in the dim distance the weather would break and our food give out.
The trouble with the Chileans was that they were afraid of the natives
hereabouts, and preferred to wait on the off chance of a ship showing
up. At last they saw that Malcolm and I were right, but we missed the
full run of the tide, and were some miles from the mainland, or
whatever it is, when night fell. We pushed along cautiously, found the
entrance to the cove we had made out before the light failed, and were
about to lay to until dawn, when we saw a rocket and heard the
fog-horn. That woke us up, you bet. The Chileans pulled like mad, but
when we came near enough to discover that the ship was being attacked
by Indians, I had a fearful job to get my heroes to butt in. That
fellow Gomez is a brick. He orated like a politician, and finally they
got a move on. From what I have seen since I came aboard, I guess you
were hustling about that time?"

"Yes," said Courtenay, filling a glass with wine as he heard Boyle's
step without. He handed the glass to the chief when he entered.

"How many?" he asked.

"Huh! We've slung fifty-three Indians an' six of the crew overboard.
There's fourteen wounded natives an' five of our men in the doctor's
hands. Two Alaculofs died of funk when they set eyes on the nigger who
turned up in the life-boat. They thought--well, here's chin chin to
everybody. I'm thirsty."

CHAPTER XVI

CHRISTOBAL'S TE