ittle
directly after as he found that Jem was to be his companion; and as the
party marched off toward where the forest came down nearly to the sea,
they, in obedience to their orders, thrust the boat off again, climbed
in, and cast out her grapnel a few fathoms from the shore.

"I am disappointed," said Don, after they had sat in the boat some time,
watching their companions till they had disappeared.

"Oh, I dunno, Mas' Don; we've got some beef and biscuit, and somewhere
to sit down, and nothing to do. They, poor fellows, will come back hot
and tired out."

"Yes; but's it's so dull here."

"Well, I dunno 'bout that," said Jem, looking lazily round at the
glorious prospect of glistening sea, island and shore, backed up by
mountains; "I call it just lovely."

"Oh, it's lovely enough, Jem; but I want to go ashore."

"Now if you call my cottage dull inside the yard gates at Bristol, I'm
with you, Mas' Don; but after all there's no place like home."

There was a dead silence, during which Don sat gazing at a group of the
savages half-a-mile away, as they landed from a long canoe, and ran it
up the beach in front of one of the native _whares_ or dwellings.

"Why, Jem!" Don exclaimed suddenly, "why not now?"

"Eh?" said Jem, starting from watching a large bird dive down with a
splash in the silvery water, and then rise again with a fish in its
beak; "see that, Mas' Don?"

"Yes, yes," exclaimed Don impatiently; "why not now?"

"Why not now, Mas' Don?" said Jem, scratching his head; "is that what
you call a connundydrum?"

"Don't be stupid, man. I say, why not now?"

"Yes, I heared you say so twice; but what does it mean?"

"We're quite alone; we have a boat and arms, with food and water. Why
not escape now?"

"Escape, Mas' Don? What, run away now at once--desert?"

"It is not running away, Jem; it is not deserting. They have robbed us
of our liberty, and we should only be taking it back."

"Ah, they'd preach quite a different sarmon to that," said Jem, shaking
his head.

"Why, you are never going to turn tail?"

"Not I, Mas' Don, when the time comes; but it don't seem to have come
yet."

"Why, the opportunity is splendid, man."

"No, Mas' Don, I don't think so. If we take the boat, 'fore we've gone
far they'll ketch sight of us aboard, and send another one to fetch us
back, or else make a cock-shy of us with the long gun."

"Then let's leave the boat."

"And go ashore, and meet our messmat