fetch eat, dlink."

He hurried off toward the ridge, while I went back to my wounded man,
who seemed to be lying asleep, but he opened his eyes as I approached.

"We've found a place," I said. "Do you think you can limp a little
way?"

He tried to rise, and fell back with a moan, but upon my placing my arm
under his, he made a fresh effort, and stood upright, taking step for
step with mine, till I had him right up to the narrow opening of our
shelter, into which he slowly crawled, and then spoke for the first
time, but in a hoarse voice I did not know--

"Water."

"I'll try," I said; "don't stir from there till I come back."

Creeping along close under the cliff, I soon reached the ridge, and was
about to mount, but dropped down and hid, for I saw something move in
the direction taken by the pirates.

A minute's investigation, however, showed it to be some bird on the
strand, and I began to climb, reached the top, took a careful
observation in both directions, and then up at the cliff, and,--lastly,
looked out for Ching.

I soon espied him running out after a retiring billow, then running in
again, and continuing this several times as if he were a boy at play.
Finally, however, I saw him go splashing in after a wave, and then come
hurrying back dragging something, which he drew right ashore.

There he stopped, panting, and looking back, caught sight of me, and
signalled to me to come.

I hurried down, reached him amongst the piles of broken timber and
rubbish, and found that he had secured a wooden box, one end of which
had been battered upon the rocks, laying bare the bright glistening tin
with which it was lined; and I realised directly that he had found what
for us was a treasure, if we could tear open the tin, for the case bore
the brand of a well-known firm of English biscuit-makers, and doubtless
it was part of the loot taken from some unfortunate British merchantman.

"You helpee me cally?" he said.

For answer I took hold of one end of the case, and we bore it right up,
through the thick sand, close under the cliff, where we placed it behind
a big stone.

"You gottee big stlong knife?" cried Ching.

I took out a big-bladed knife, opened it, and found no difficulty in
thrusting it through the soft tin and cutting a long gash. Then I cut
another, parallel, and joined two of the ends, making a lid, which, upon
being raised, showed that the biscuits were perfectly unharmed by the
salt water.

"