s something."

They selected a long straight stick, drove it deeply into the sand, walked
round it several times so as to assure themselves that it was perfectly
upright, and then returned again to the shelter of the trees. An hour
later the sound of a gun came to their ears.

"He has found some of them monkeys," Wilcox growled.

Three more shots were heard. "How far are they off, do you think?" Stephen
asked.

"I dunno, sir. If it was on the open sea and calm like this, I should say
they might be two or three miles, but in this 'ere forest there ain't no
saying at all. I don't reckon they would be above two miles anyhow, that
is if the stream is as strong up there as it is here. They were making
very slow way against it when they started. I reckon they have been gone
about an hour, and they would not have got more than two miles away
against this stream. Well, I hope that they will be content now and turn
back again."

Half an hour passed, then they heard a gun again; it was quickly followed
by another and another.

"More monkeys," Wilcox exclaimed in a tone of disgust.

"I hope it is monkeys," Stephen said. "Listen. There are four more shots
close together."

The sailor leapt to his feet. "I believe you are right, sir, that cussed
firing has brought the natives down upon them. They would not want to keep
on firing at the monkeys. We shall hear in a minute if they fire again.
They have all emptied their pieces. If they load quick and fire again it
will be a bad sign. There they are!" he broke off as two shots were heard.
"I am afraid that settles it, sir, and settles us too, for if they are
attacked there ain't a ghost of a chance of their getting away, and there
won't be much more chance of our doing so."

Four more shots were heard, and then all was quiet. "Now, sir, we will be
getting pretty deep in among these trees, keeping close to the bank, so
that we can look through the bushes without being seen. If the boat comes
along all right, there ain't no harm done; if it don't come along after a
bit, we shall know what has happened."

Picking up his gun, Wilcox was about to turn off into the wood when
Stephen said:

"We had better take three or four cocoa-nuts each, Wilcox. There is no
saying whether we shall come back to this place, and it is as well to have
something to eat."

Each tied some nuts together, threw them over their shoulders, and started
along the river bank. The stream was bordered by a t