recognised
a friend, while our hero turned to the young fellow whom he had last
seen in England.

By now a number of other residents had arrived, and there was an
animated meeting, the passengers leaping out and shaking hands. Amid
all the excitement, the hand-gripping, the questions as to friends at
home, and as to matters on the Gold Coast, no one took notice of the
following boats save Dick, who had greeted his friend and left him to
pass on to others. He watched, therefore, as the second craft
approached, and stared at the occupants as the stout vessel lay off the
breakers waiting for the propitious moment to arrive when it would be
wise to push forward.

There were five passengers in all, three of them officers returning to
duty, and two others, of whom one seemed to be a man of some fifty years
of age, thin and almost cadaverous, while the last by all appearances
was a very stout, short man, who found the heat trying, for he fanned
his face with an enormous topee, then mopped his brows with an
exceedingly red bandana handkerchief, and finally, with a start of
surprise, stood up and stared back at the oncoming waves with every
appearance of dismay. Dick heard him shout, and a moment later the
tall, thin man had swept him to his seat again with an adroit movement
of the arm.

"A stranger, evidently," thought Dick. "He has never been in the surf
before. The other man knows the ropes well, while the officers I
recognise as old residents. Ah, they've started. The little fat beggar
doesn't like it."

The stout man evidently felt some tremors, for he clutched at the side,
pushing his head in between two of the kroo men, till his companion,
seeing that he was in the way, dragged him back and spoke sharply to
him. After that he remained as if rooted to his seat, staring at the
wave which followed, and shuddering as the boat was lifted to the summit
of a crest, and again as she as quickly slid back into the abyss behind.
A shriek escaped him as the craft slowly receded, while the harder the
paddles worked and their leader shouted, the more did the terror of the
unaccustomed situation seem to fill this little stranger. A moment
later a shout from Dick and a chorus of yells attracted the attention of
those ashore. They turned to find the boat gone. She had been
completely engulfed by the following wave, and for a minute nothing but
seething water could be seen. Then a black arm shot up, and later the
whole