Murray. "This is the worst day's work I ever
did."

"Think it's any good to sarch the place again, sir?"

"But there's nothing to search, Tom."

"Well, there arn't much, sir, sartainly, but it'll be more satisfactory
to go over it once more."

"Come along, then," said the middy. "Anything's better than standing
still here."

"Ay, sir, so it is," said the big sailor; and together the pair went
from room to room, Tom May insisting upon looking under the couch in the
study, under the table, and then lifting up the square of Turkey carpet
that half covered the well-made parqueterie floor, which glistened with
the polishing given to it by busy slave labour.

But there was no sign of him whom they sought, and a careful examination
of the garden and plantation was only followed by the discovery which
they had made before, that the place was thoroughly closed in by a dense
natural growth of hedge, ablaze with flowers in spite of the fact that
it had been closely clipped and had grown dense in an impassable way.

"Let's get the boat here," said Murray, at last; and going to the
platform, Tom May hailed the cutter where it swung from its grapnel.

"Now then, you two," cried the middy angrily, "you have been asleep!"

"Nay, sir," cried the men, in a breath.

"What, you deny it?"

"Yes, sir," said one. "It was so hot that I did get precious drowsy
once."

"There, I knew I was right!"

"Beg pardon, sir; just as I was going off my mate here shoves a pin into
me and rouses me up with a yell. I was never asleep."

"And you are ready to say the same?" cried the middy.

"Jes' the same sir," said the other man, "only not quite. It was the
same pin, sir, but he jobbed it into me further. We was both awake all
the time, sir."

"Then you must have seen that Mr Allen come out of the cottage and be
rowed away."

"What, to-day, sir?" said the first boat-keeper.

"Do you think I meant to-morrow, sir?" cried Murray, who was boiling
over with rage and despair.

"No, sir, of course not," replied the man, in an injured tone; "but you
might ha' meant yesterday, sir."

"Of course," cried Murray--"when you were not on duty here?"

"We done our best, sir, both on us."

"Yes, yes, of course, my lads. Here, paddle May and me along the edge
of the lagoon."

The man paddled the boat slowly along, and it was not until several
blind lead places, where the boat could be thrust in amongst the
bamboos, had been explored, th