a hen house?" asked Mr. Henderson in some wonder.

"No, but we discovered a turtle, which is just as good," replied Mark.
The professor agreed with him, and called for Washington to come and get
the eggs.

"Wall I 'clare to goodness!" exclaimed the colored man as he gathered
the product of the turtle up in his cook's apron. "Dis suttinly am a
queer contraption of a country to find eggs growin' in de sand."

He shuffled back to the ship, while the others walked up and down on the
beach. In about half an hour the professor suggested that they return.

"Washington must have breakfast ready by now," he said, "and I, for one,
am hungry enough to enjoy it."

They turned toward the stranded _Porpoise_ but no sooner had their eyes
taken in the sweep of the ocean that lay before them than they uttered
cries of fear.

Spreading out from the beach in a big half circle that enclosed within
its curve the submarine, were three score of canoes, each one filled
with half naked savages.

"The natives are going to attack the ship!" cried the professor. "We
must hurry back or we are lost!"

He started on the run, accompanied by the boys and men. Mrs. Johnson and
her daughter brought up the rear. The adventurers had gone from one
misfortune into another.

At the top of their speed they approached the stranded ship. The natives
saw them coming and the next instant hundreds of paddles broke the waves
into a mass of sparkling water as the wily savages urged their canoes
swiftly toward the submarine.

"If we can only reach it first we can hold them off until the tide
floats us, and then we can escape," said the professor.

He increased his pace though the run was beginning to tell on his aged
frame. The adventurers were now within an eighth of a mile of the ship,
but the savages were closer, and had the advantage of being able to make
greater speed. The two forces approached nearer and nearer. Finally the
first of the canoes reached the submerged end of the _Porpoise_.

With wild shouts a score of the brown men leaped from the boats and
scrambled up the steel sides. An instant later they were joined by
several canoe loads of their companions. They swarmed up on the deck,
and some peered down the winding stairs that led to the interior of the
ship.

"Too late!" cried the professor. "They have captured the _Porpoise_!"

"But Washington is aboard!" shouted Jack.

As he spoke the colored man was seen clambering up out of the com