for a guard over him.

"Joyce, old fellow," Stephen whispered in his ear, "are you conscious?"

The lad opened his closed eyes with a start.

[Illustration: STEPHEN CRAWLS TO THE RESCUE OF HIS CHUM, JOYCE.]

"Don't speak," Stephen went on.

"Is it really you, Steve, or am I dreaming?"

"You are awake enough, Tom. I am here with Wilcox and will soon get these
things off you." Drawing his jack-knife he cut the bonds. "Do you think
that you can walk, Tom?"

"Yes, the things were not very tight, only being pegged out like this I
could not move an inch."

Stephen was lying down by his side while he cut the fastenings. He now
looked round again.

"There is no one in sight, Tom, but you had better wriggle yourself along
until you get to the corner of the hut."

As soon as they were round the corner they stood up. As they did so, the
sailor put his head out through the bushes and waved them a silent cheer.
Stephen went first, and as soon as he saw that the street was empty he
beckoned to his companion, and they ran across to the other side; a moment
later they joined the sailor. The latter gave a grip to Joyce's hand, and
then held out to him a cocoa-nut he had just cut open in readiness. This
he seized eagerly and took a long drink.

"I was choking with thirst," Joyce gasped, as he finished the contents of
the nut.

"Take care how you go through the bushes," the sailor whispered, as he
turned and led the way; "everything is so quiet that a rustle might be
heard."

They went along with the greatest caution. Their bare feet fell
noiselessly on the spongy soil, but sometimes as they sank into the mud
the suck of the air as they drew them out made a sound that startled them.
At last they reached the tree where they had left all the cocoa-nuts with
the exception of the one that the sailor had brought on. When they
stopped, Joyce threw himself down and burst into tears.

"Leave me alone," he said, as Stephen began to speak to him, "I shall be
better directly, but it has been awful. I will tell you about it
afterwards. I tried to make up my mind to stand it bravely, and it is the
getting out of it when there did not seem to be a chance in the world that
has upset me."

In five minutes he rose again to his feet. "I am ready to go on now," he
said.

"Yes, I think it is time to be moving, sir. As soon as those beggars wake
up and find you have gone, they will set out in chase, and the longer
start we get the better.