st?" asked the captain.

"Not sure. Do _you_ know, Moses?"

"No; no more 'n de man ob de moon. P'r'aps Borneo. He go dar sometimes."

At this point another roar from the volcano, and a shout from the
leader of the excursionists to return on board, broke up the conference.

"Well, lad, I'm glad I've seen you. Don't forget to write your
whereabouts. They say there's a lot o' wild places as well as wild men
and beasts among them islands, so keep your weather-eye open an' your
powder dry. Good-bye, Nigel. Take care of him, Moses, and keep him out
o' mischief if ye can--which is more than ever I could. Good-bye, my
boy."

"Good-bye, father."

They shook hands vigorously. In another minute the old seaman was
sailing down the cinder-cone at the rate of fourteen knots an hour,
while his son, setting off under the guidance of Moses towards a
different point of the compass, was soon pushing his way through the
tangled forest in the direction of the hermit's cave.

CHAPTER X.

A CURIOUS SEA-GOING CRAFT--THE UNKNOWN VOYAGE BEGUN.

It was early next morning when Van der Kemp and his man left their
couches and descended to the shore, leaving their visitor enjoying the
benefit of that profound slumber which bids defiance to turmoil and
noise, however stupendous, and which seems to be the peculiar privilege
of healthy infants and youthful seamen.

Perboewatan had subsided considerably towards morning, and had taken to
that internal rumbling, which in the feline species indicates mitigated
indignation. The hermit had therefore come to the conclusion that the
outburst was over, and went with Moses to make arrangements for setting
forth on his expedition after breakfast.

They had scarcely left the cave when Nigel awoke. Feeling indisposed for
further repose, he got up and went out in that vague state of mind which
is usually defined as "having a look at the weather." Whether or not he
gathered much information from the look we cannot tell, but, taking up
his short gun, which stood handy at the entrance of the cave, he
sauntered down the path which his host had followed a short time before.
Arrived at the shore, he observed that a branch path diverged to the
left, and appeared to run in the direction of a high precipice. He
turned into it, and after proceeding through the bushes for a short way
he came quite unexpectedly on a cavern, the mouth of which resembled,
but was much higher and wider than that which led to th