ast," said Mr Munday, shaking
hands warmly. "My word, sir, you have had a tremendous fight here!"

"You can report to the captain that I have done my best, Munday, and our
lads have fought like heroes."

"That's good, sir. I'm sure they have. I wish, though, we had been
here."

"And now you will either get us aboard or send for Mr Reston."

"I'm sorry to say that I can't do either," said the second lieutenant.

"What!" cried the chief officer.

"It has been like this; the captain sent me ashore with a boat's crew to
find you and the rest, and as soon as we were out of sight he was
attacked by a couple of schooners."

"How did you know that?" asked Murray, who had laid his hand upon the
chief officer's lips to keep him from speaking.

"From the two boat-keepers; and one of these schooners our lads report
as being commanded by that scoundrel who tricked us with his lugger. He
was the real owner of the schooner that escaped."

"Ah! Go on," said Mr Anderson faintly. "Tell Murray, and let me lie
and listen."

"Well, then," continued the officer, "these two schooners attacked the
skipper just when he was shorthanded, and before I could get back to my
cutter they had been there, driven the two boat-keepers ashore, and
scuttled her. Of course my two men could do nothing but make for me.
So there I was ashore, listening to the firing, while the skipper had to
keep on a running fight, and that's been going on ever since, for
they've been a bit too many for the _Seafowl_, it seems to me."

"How unfortunate!" said Murray.

"Horribly, sir," said the second lieutenant. "Here have I been hunting
you ever since, though I've had a few skirmishes with the scoundrels,
who have seemed to swarm."

"Yes," said Murray, nodding his head. "White, black and mongrel scum of
the earth."

"Exactly, my lad. Well, to make a long story short, the place is such a
maze that I'm sure I should never have found you if we hadn't seen the
flash of this explosion. Of course we heard the roar far enough away,
but that would not have guided us without we had seen the direction."

"No, sir, I suppose not. Well, sir, what's to be done now?" said
Murray.

"Let's hear what Mr Anderson says."

"Hush! He has fallen asleep," whispered Murray. "Poor fellow! He is
very weak."

"And ought to have Reston to him. We're in a nice hole, Murray, upon my
word! Have you got a morsel of prog? My lads are starving."

"We've plenty, sir."