."

His ears were sharper than mine; for, as I dropped down at full length
in the sand upon my chest, I saw him drag a good-sized stone in front of
his face to screen it, while I, in imitation, rapidly scooped up some of
the sand and spread it before me, so as to make a little mound of a few
inches high, just as a couple of the junk's crew came into sight about a
hundred and fifty yards on our left, and as close down to the sea as the
billows would allow. Then a few more appeared; and at last the whole
party, walking almost in single file, and looking sharply from left to
right as they came.

There was a space of about sixty yards from the face of the cliff to the
edge of the water, and the shore, after about twenty yards of perfect
hard level, rapidly rose, the interval being a rugged wilderness of rock
half buried in the driven sand.

It was up nearly at the highest part of this chaos of rocks, where we
had been seeking along the cliff face for a cavern, that we three lay,
many feet above the level strip by the sea; and there were plenty of
rocks protruding from the sand big enough to hide us; but it could only
be from a few of the men at a time. To the others I felt that we must
be so exposed that some one or other must of necessity see us if he
looked our way.

There was no need to whisper, "Be silent," for we lay there perfectly
motionless, hardly daring to breathe, but forced, fascinated, as it
were, into watching the long procession of our enemies, walking along,
chattering loudly, and every now and then stooping to pick up something
which had been driven up by the sea.

At times I saw them gazing right in our direction, and then up, over us,
at the cliff with its patches of grey-green vegetation; but fully half
of them passed by without making a sign of being aware of our presence,
and hope began to spring up of the possibility of their all going by
without noticing us.

The next moment it seemed impossible, and my heart sank as one active
fellow stepped toward us, apparently coming straight to where we lay,
and appearing to be watching me all the time.

And now more strongly than ever came the feeling that I must leap up and
run for my life, though I knew that if I did the mob of Chinamen would
give chase, like the pack of savage hounds that they were, and never
give up till they had run me down; and then--

I felt sick with the heat of the sun, and the horror of my position.
There, say it was all f