thought to myself.

With this feeling we could not help regarding the stranger as a friend.
We waited, watching her till she got quite close, then heaving to, to
leeward of the island, a boat was lowered from her side. On seeing this
we ran down to the beach to welcome those coming on shore. They clearly
knew the place, for they made directly for the opening in the reef. As
I looked through my glass at them, they appeared to be a very rough set,
exhibiting various coloured specimens of the race of man. I did in no
way like their looks. As soon as the boat touched the beach they jumped
out, and seemed very much surprised at seeing Tom and me. Much greater
was mine, on regarding attentively the officer of the boat, to discover
that he was no other than the pretended cobbler who had been a passenger
on board the _Orion_, Any doubt I might have had was put to flight by
seeing Solon run up to him and bark, as much as to say, "I have seen you
before;" then he turned round and growled at two other men of the crew.
This drew my attention towards them, and I soon recognised Cobb and
Clink, two of the chief mutineers on board the ill-fated ship. They, of
course, at once recognised us, and Mr Barwell, or, as I found his
people call him, Captain Hansleig, began to make inquiries about her.
When I told him of the fate which had overtaken her, his reply was--

"I thought so. A drunken captain and mate are pretty certain to lose
their ship before long; my only surprise is that she got as far as
this."

As we walked along to the huts, he told me what a fine craft he had got,
and how successful he had been, but he did not say how she was employed.
In the meantime the men who followed us had been talking to Tommy in
the same strain. Sills and Brown were evidently well pleased at seeing
them, and at once asked Captain Hansleig if he would take them off the
island. This he said at once that he would do, if they chose to enter
on board his craft, but that he could not undertake to carry passengers.
They without hesitation accepted his offer, saying that they liked the
look of his craft, and the roving commission which he had told them he
held. The doctor received them very coldly, and seemed in no way
pleased at their appearance. He seized the first moment that they were
out of hearing to warn me against them.

"Depend on it, that if they are not pirates they are little better--
slave carriers and men kidnappers," he said w