hall abandon the helm to
you, for I know nothing of the shoals here-abouts."

"If," continued Becker, "though highly improbable, any thing important
should have happened, or should happen at Rockhouse, you will fire a
cannon, and we will be with you immediately. Willis and Jack will
discharge a rifle if threatened with danger; and we shall do the same
on our side, if we require assistance."

"It is a pity," remarked Jack, "that we had not two or three
four-pounders amongst the provisions."

"I scarcely regard this matter as altogether a subject for joking,"
continued Becker, "and sincerely hope that all our precautions may
prove useless. Take each of you a rifle and proceed with caution;
above all, do not go far apart from each other; do not fire without
taking good aim, and only in case of self-defence or absolute
necessity; for this time it does not appear to be a question of bears
and hyenas, but, as far as we are able to judge, one of our own
species."

Two of the squadrons then hauled off in different directions,
carefully examining the ground as they went, beating up the thickets,
and endeavoring to obtain some further trace of the stranger, in order
to confirm those at Falcon's Nest.

The squadron of observation, in the meanwhile set diligently to work.
A tree having been selected at about fifteen paces from that already
existing, it was necessary, as on the former occasion, to discharge an
arrow carrying the end of a line, and in such a way that the cord
might fall across some of the strongest branches; this done, the
bamboo ladder was drawn up from the opposite side and held fast until
Ernest had ascended and fastened it with nails to the top of the tree.

Ernest then commenced lopping off the branches to the right and left,
so as to form a space in the centre for their contemplated dwelling;
whilst Becker himself below was making an entrance into the trunk,
taking care to avoid an accident that formerly happened, by assuring
himself that a colony of bees had not already taken possession of the
ground. The gigantic fig-trees at Falcon's Nest being for the most
part hollow, and supported in a great measure by the bark--like the
willows in Europe when they reach a certain stage of their growth--it
was easy to erect a staircase in the interior; still this was a work
of time, and Becker had resolved in the meantime to give up the
habitation already constructed to Wolston and his family, at least
until such