d to stop and take off her shoes altogether. For
two miles further she refused the offers to carry her, but at last
was forced to own that she could go no further.

The two litters were at once brought up, and the four sailors,
Dominique and the three uninjured boatmen, lifted them and went
along at a trot, George Lechmere leading the way with a lantern.
The weight of the girls, divided between four strong men, was a
mere trifle, and they now made much more rapid progress than they
had before, and in three quarters of an hour arrived at Nipes.

As they got to the little town, Bertha and Anna got out and walked,
so as to attract as little attention as possible among the negroes
in the streets. Dominique answered all questions, stating that they
were a party belonging to a ship in Marsouin Bay, that they had
been on a sporting expedition over the hills, and had lost their
way, and now wanted a boat to take them back.

As soon as they reached the strand half a dozen were offered to
them. Dominique chose the one that looked the fastest. He told the
boatman that the ladies were very tired, and they wanted to get
back as soon as possible, and he must, therefore, engage ten men to
row, as the wind was so slight as to be useless.

As he did not haggle about terms, the bargain was speedily
concluded, and in a few minutes they put off. The men, animated by
the handsome rate of pay they were to receive, rowed hard, and in a
little over two hours they entered the inlet at the end of which
the Osprey was lying. As they neared the end the boatmen were
surprised at seeing a large number of people with torches on the
rising ground, and something like panic seized them when they heard
the Obi horns sounding. They dropped their oars at once.

"Tell them to row on, Dominique," Frank said, "and to keep close
along the opposite side. Tell them that if they don't do so we will
shoot them. No; tell them that we will chuck them overboard and row
on ourselves."

"There is the place where we landed," Frank said presently to
Bertha (the men had resumed their rowing), "just under where you
see that clump of torches."

"Ah, there is our boat," he broke off suddenly, as it appeared in
the line of the reflection of the torches on the water.

It was half a mile away, lying a few hundred yards from shore. He
took out the dog whistle that he used when coming down to the
landing stage to summon the boat from the yacht, and blew it. There
was a