em about fetish and Obeah, as they calls it,
and shows the poor benighted chaps a bit of hanky panky work with a big
snake like that we saw to-night. Makes 'em think the snake's horrid
poisonous, and that it can't bite him as handles it, because he's took
some stuff or another. Rum game that there was with that sarpent, and--
I say, sir, don't you think we'd better get up now for a bit and just
mark time? You see, we can't walk, for if we do we shall lose
ourselves."

"We might take it in turns, and just keep touch of one another."

"What, sir? No, thankye. Ketch me trying that way again! We've had
enough of that. Fust thing, though, let's see how our wounded's getting
on."

"Yes, Tom," said Murray; and they felt for their unfortunate companions
in the darkness, with the result that Titely flung out one fist with the
accompaniment of an angry growl, and at the first touch of Murray's
fingers, Roberts uttered an angry expostulation, taking all the
stiffness out of his brother middy's joints as the lad started, broke
out in a violent perspiration, and caught hold of his wakeful companion,
for the pair to stand listening for some sign of the enemy having heard
the cry, and beginning to steal silently towards them.

"Cutlasses, Tom," whispered Murray, with his lips to the big sailor's
ear, and together they unsheathed their weapons and stood back to back,
ready to defend themselves.

"Thrust, Tom," whispered Murray again.

"Ay, ay, sir!" And then the terrible silence of the black darkness was
only broken by a faint mutter from one or other of the wounded pair,
while the listeners breathed hard in agony, trying the while to suppress
the going and coming of the prime necessity of life. Murray pressed the
hard hilt of his cutlass against his breast in the faint hope that by so
doing he could deaden the heavy throbbing that sounded loudly to his
ear, while if any one was approaching at all near he felt certain that
he must hear the dull thumps that went on within the breast of the big
sailor.

There was another dread, too, which troubled the watch-keepers: at any
moment they felt certain the disturbed sleepers might begin talking
aloud. But that peril they were spared.

"Don't hear anything, sir," whispered Tom, at last. "I made sure we
should have brought them down upon us. I say, sir, it seems to me as
Natur must have made some mistake."

"How?" asked Murray.

"Forgot to wind up the sun last night."