n, shaking him sharply.

"Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" groaned Jem, lifting up his bare feet
alternately, and setting them down again with a loud pat on the rock.

"Be quiet! They may hear you."

"Hit me then! Give it me. Ho, ho, ho!"

"Jem, we are safe now, and you'll undo it all if you're not quiet."

"Knock me then, Mas' Don. Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Hi: me; a good un, dear
lad. Ho, ho, ho, ho!"

"Oh, do be quiet! How can you be such an ass?"

"I dunno! Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Did you see him run, Mas' Don? I--oh
dear, I can't help it. Do knock me down and sit on me, dear lad--I
never--oh dear me!"

Jem laughed till Don grew angry, and then the sturdy little fellow
stopped short and stood wiping his eyes with the back of his hands.

"I couldn't help it, Mas' Don," he said. "I don't think I ever laughed
so much before. There, I'm better now. Shan't have any more laugh in
me for a twelvemonth. Hiss! Whoss-s-s!"

He made the two sounds again, and burst into another uncontrollable fit
of laughter at the success of his ruse; but this time Don caught him by
the throat, and he stopped at once.

"Hah!" he ejaculated, and wiped his eyes again. "Thankye, Mas' Don;
that's just what you ought to ha' done before. There, it's all over
now. What are you going to do?"

"Watch them," said Don, laconically; and he crept to the mouth of the
cave, and peered cautiously over the edge of the shelf, but all was
quiet; and beyond a distant hail or two, heard after listening for some
minutes, there was nothing to indicate that the search party had been
there.

"We must be well on the look-out, Jem. Your stupid trick may bring them
back."

"Stoopid? Well, I do like that, Mas' Don, after saving us both as I
did."

"I'd say let's go on at once, only we might meet some of them."

"And old `My pakeha' wouldn't know where to find us. I say, Mas' Don,
what are we going to do? Stop here with these people, and old Tomati,
or go on at once and shift for ourselves?"

"We cannot shift for ourselves in a country like this without some way
of getting food."

"Hush!" exclaimed Jem sharply.

"What's the matter?" cried Don, making for the inner part of their
hiding-place.

"No, no; don't do that. It's all right, Mas' Don, only don't say
anything more about food. I feel just now as if I could eat you. It's
horrid how hungry I am."

"You see then," said Don, "how helpless we are."

"Yes; if it was only a biscuit I woul