hion; "I'm hungry, and don't want to leave off and spoil my dinner.
I don't want to quarrel to-night."

"This is insufferable," cried Terry, who felt clothed in authority as
second officer of the expedition, and striding away, he found out the
lieutenant, and stated what he had seen.

"He had no business here, Mr Terry," said the lieutenant, quietly; "but
of course we can do nothing to-night."

"If we signalled for a boat, sir?"

"One would come and fetch him off, but would create unnecessary alarm.
And look here, Mr Terry, is it not time you forgot old sores, and
became good friends with your messmates?"

"I don't understand you, sir," said Terry, haughtily. "Then I'll try
and be plainer," said the lieutenant, rather sharply. "Don't you think
it is a pity that you should let your enmity to Mr Belton make you jump
at a chance to do him a bad turn?"

"I came here, sir, to do my duty, and I reported misconduct on the part
of one of the midshipmen."

"Who once gave you a good thrashing, Mr Terry, for playing the bully.
There, there, my good lad, forget and forgive, and don't try and usurp
my duties here. I will look after Mr Belton."

"Such confounded favouritism to the captain's son!" muttered Terry; but
it was loud enough for the lieutenant to hear, and he exclaimed, hotly--

"And if you dare to say such a thing as that again, sir, I'll clap you
under arrest, and put Mr Belton in your place." Terry slunk off and
stood about sulking till the men had finished, and were then set to work
to make a temporary shelter for the night, which was quickly done by
tying the edges of the sails they had brought to some spars, and resting
these against the perpendicular side of the rock in the cleft, thus
forming a lean-to, which was spacious enough to cover the men and the
stores and ammunition already protected by the tarpaulins thrown over
them.

Roylance and Syd were standing together in the darkness, watching the
men arranging the spars and hauling the canvas tight, when Syd laid his
hand upon his companion's arm.

"Don't speak or move," he whispered; "but look down to the right.
There's some wild beast crawling up from the west end of the gap."

Roylance gripped Syd's hand to indicate that he saw the creature, and
they remained silent, watching it creeping nearer and nearer, till it
reached the spot where the men had been making their meal, and there it
seemed to pause for a few minutes before returning the way i