rns of the last boat become
stationary, and knew that the men had reached the shore, while the
lanthorns of the second cutter were faintly visible, moving slowly far
away to the south.

The captain rubbed his hands with satisfaction, and kept walking to the
gangway and using his night-glass without any greater result than that
of seeing a couple of faint specks of light, when he got the boats'
lanthorns into the field. Then he listened in the hope of hearing
shouts, which would suggest the capture of the fugitives; but half an
hour--an hour--glided by, and all was still. The buzz and cries which
had arisen from the collection of huts had ceased, and the lights shown
there had been extinguished, while the darkness which hung over the sea
appeared to grow more dense.

At last there was a hail about a hundred yards away, and the officer in
the first boat answered the captain's eager inquiry.

"No, sir; no luck. Not a sign of any one. I'm afraid--"

"They have got ashore and escaped?"

"No, sir," said the lieutenant, gravely; "I don't think a man could swim
ashore in this darkness and escape."

"Why, the distance is very short!"

"Yes, sir; but there are obstacles in the way."

"Obstacles?"

"Well, sir, I've seen some tremendous sharks about in the clear water;
and I don't think any one could get any distance without having some of
the brutes after him."

A terrible silence followed this declaration, and the captain drew his
breath hard.

"Come aboard," he said. "It is too dark for further search to be made."

The boat was rowed alongside, the falls lowered, the hooks adjusted, and
she was hoisted up and swung inboard.

"I'd give anything to capture the scoundrels," said the captain, after
walking up and down for a few minutes with the lieutenant; "but I don't
want the poor fellows to meet with such a fate as that. Do you think it
likely?"

"More than likely, sir," said the lieutenant, coldly.

The captain turned aft, made his way to the quarter-deck, and remained
there attentively watching shoreward to where he could faintly see the
lights of the last boat.

"We must leave further search till morning," muttered the captain; and
giving his order, signal lamps were run up to recall the boats; and
before very long they were answered, and the lanthorns of Bosun Jones'
boat could soon after be seen heading slowly for the ship, the second
boat following her example a few minutes later.

"No signs of