ent to where he was lying on the sand, with Bruff beside him, sharing
the wounded couch.

"No, my lads, I can walk," said the second-mate. "Sorry I am so
helpless."

"Not more sorry than we, sir," said Billy Widgeon respectfully. "I wish
we'd brought Jacko with us instead of the dog."

"Why?" asked Morgan, as he walked slowly and painfully toward the
opening.

"Might have climbed a tree, sir, and got us a cocoa-nut."

"I'll be content with some water, my lad," said Morgan; and then he
turned so faint that he gladly took Mark's arm as he came up to help
Bruff, who was limping along in a very pitiful way.

"There," said the major, as soon as all were through the gap; "now, I
think if we bend down, and lace together some of these boughs across, we
shall have a natural palisade which we are going to defend. That's
right; fire away; I don't think we have much to fear from their gun.
Now, Mr Gregory, if you will examine that side, I'll look over this,
and see if we have any weak points on our flanks, and then we'll prepare
for our friends."

A hasty look round right and left showed that, save after a long task of
cutting down trees and creepers, no attack could be made on the flanks,
while, on gathering together in the front, a strong low hedge of thorny
bushes separated them from the coming foes--a breastwork of sufficient
width to guard them from spear thrusts, while the defenders would find
it sufficiently open to fire through.

Points of vantage were selected, and a careful division of the arms
made, two of the men, in addition to their pistols, being furnished with
the spears which had been thrown at Morgan, and were found sticking in
the sand, with their shafts above water.

Small took possession of these, and handed one to Billy Widgeon.

"I'm the biggest, Billy, and you're the littlest," he said, "so we'll
have 'em. I don't know much about using 'em, but I should say the way's
to handle 'em as you would a toasting-fork on a slice o' bread, these
here savage chaps being the bread."

"Or," said Billy, making a thrust through a bush, "like a skewer in a
chicken. Well, I'm a peaceable man, Mr Mark, sir, and if they let me
alone and us, why it's all I ask; but if they won't, all I hopes is, as
two on 'em'll be together, one behind the other, when I makes my first
job at 'em with this here long-handled spike."

"Now, my lads," said the major, who seemed to be enjoying his task,
"just two words before we