ght to tell what you were catching, even if you went after
those creatures. Ruth says she doesn't want agouti because they're too
much like rats; but maybe there are creatures like polecats here--and
they'd be a whole lot worse."

A daring idea came into Drew's mind, but he did not mention it to Tyke
or the captain because he felt sure that they would not approve. He
acknowledged to himself that it was a forlorn hope, but he knew, too,
that forlorn hopes often won by their very audacity.

He knew that the moon rose late that night, and as darkness was
essential to the execution of his plan, he rose shortly and said:

"Think I'll go out and do a little scouting on my own account."

The captain looked at him in some surprise.

"Well," he said slowly, "we can't get any too much information; but
we're fearfully short of men, and you're the best shot we have. Better
be careful."

"Yes, do be careful, Allen!" exclaimed Ruth. "For my sake," she added
in a whisper.

"Do you care very much?" he responded, in the same tone.

"Care!" she repeated softly. It was only one word, but it was eloquent
and her eyes were suspiciously moist.

He pressed her hand and she did not try to withdraw it.

"I'll be careful," he promised, releasing it at last. Another moment
and he had surmounted the barrier and was swallowed up in the gloom of
the forest.

From his repeated trips over the trail, Drew had a pretty good idea of
the locality, and had it not been for the fallen trees that had been
torn up by the cataclysm of the morning, he would have had little
difficulty in gaining the beach. But again and again he had to make
long detours, and as the darkness was intense he had to rely entirely
on his sense of touch; so his progress was slow.

Nearly two hours elapsed before he caught sight of a light beyond the
trees that he thought must come from the campfire of the mutineers. He
crept forward with exceeding care, for at any moment he might stumble
over some sentinel. But, with the lack of discipline that usually
accompanies such lawless ventures and relying upon their preponderance
in numbers, the mutineers had neglected such a precaution.

With the stealth of an Indian on a foray, Drew approached the beach
until he was not more than a hundred yards from the fire. There he
sheltered himself behind a massive tree trunk and surveyed the scene.

He saw Rogers nowhere about. The mutineers had made a great fire of
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