nchor in
the bay, and sent her boat ashore, as we have seen, with the captain,
the surly man called Dick, and our friend John Bumpus.

It happened that, just as the boat ran under the shelter of a rocky
point and touched the strand, Keona left his cave for the purpose of
observing what young Stuart was about. He knew that he could not have
retraced his homeward way without passing within sight of his place of
concealment.

A glance of surprise crossed his dark visage as he crept to the edge of
the underwood and saw the schooner at anchor in the bay. This was
succeeded by a fiendish grin of exultation as his eye fell on the
slumbering form of the youth. He instantly took advantage of the
opportunity; and so deeply was he engrossed with his murderous
intention, that he did not observe the captain of the schooner as he
turned a projecting rock, and suddenly appeared upon the scene. The
captain, however, saw the savage, and instantly drew back, signing, at
the same time, to his two men to keep under cover.

A second glance showed him the sleeping form of Henry, and, almost
before he had time to suspect that foul play was going on, he saw the
savage glide from the bushes to the side of the sleeper, raise his
spear, and poise it for one moment, as if to make sure of sending it
straight to the youth's heart.

There was not a moment to lose. The captain carried a short carbine in
his hand, with which he took aim at the savage,--going down on one knee
to make a surer shot, for the carbine of those days was not to be
depended on at a distance much beyond a hundred yards; and as the actors
in this scene were separated by even more than that distance, there was
a considerable chance of missing the savage and hitting the young man.

This, however, was not a moment to calculate chances. The captain pulled
the trigger, and the crash of the shot was followed by a howl from the
savage, as his uplifted arm dropped to his side, and the spear fell
across the face of the sleeper. Henry instantly awoke, and sprang up
with the agility of a panther. Before he could observe what had
occurred, Keona leaped into the bushes disappeared. Henry at once
bounded after him; and the captain, giving vent to a lusty cheer,
rushed across the beach, and sprang into the forest, closely followed by
surly Diet and John Bumpus, whose united cheers of excitement and shouts
of defiance awoke the echoes of the place with clamorous discords.

CHAPTER I