hen he gave way and
allowed himself to be drawn toward the man on guard.

"Now we shall lose him, sir," said the boatswain in a gruff whisper.
"I'd got my eye on him, and was just a-going to give a pounce when you
stopped it."

"Yes; but look here, Strake," whispered Syd. "Each time it has been
seen it came up this way from somewhere close to the gun. If we stop
here we shall trap it."

"But will it come back by here?"

"Yes, I feel sure. It goes up there to prowl about and get food, and
then it comes back to hide somewhere here in these cracks among the
rocks."

"Werry good, sir; I dare say you knows best. What shall I do--shoot it,
or give it a chop with the cutlash?"

"No; it may be a man--and we don't want to shed blood."

"Right, sir. Then we watches here?"

"Yes," said Syd, taking his place behind a block of stone, though it was
so dark there was hardly need to hide. Strake followed his example, and
they crouched down, with their ears on the strain, satisfied now that
the clicking sound of stones striking together was made by this
creature, whatever it was.

"You must be on your guard, sir," whispered Strake. "Whatever it is,
it'll be sure to scratch or bite. But so sure as you make a grab I
shall be there, and he won't kick much with me atop of him. Hist!"

Syd listened, but there was no sound, and he waited so long that he was
going to speak to the boatswain and say, "We'll give up now," when a
curious crunching noise fell upon his ear, and the next moment something
dark was evidently trotting by them, looking in the darkness like a
great dog.

With one bound the young midshipman was at it, but it eluded his grasp,
and ran right at Strake, who was the next moment down on his face.

"Stand, or I fire!" came from a short distance away.

"No, no. Avast there; it's the captain--I mean Mr Belton and me, my
lad," growled Strake, getting up. "See that, Mr Belton, sir; I'd just
got it when it went right through my legs, and I was down. Which way
did it go?"

"Don't know. I did not even feel it."

"It's a big monkey, sir, or else--I know, sir, it's one o' they small
bears, and that was biscuit he was chawing. We'd better shoot him.
They bites as well as scratches and hugs, besides being very good
eating, so they say."

"Well, it's of no use to try to catch it now. Better hunt it from its
hole by daylight. Isn't it time Rogers was relieved?"

"Gettin' nigh, sir; on'y it's all on the