d away when the point of the spear was slowly raised, and
disappeared behind the trees.

Then once more came the loud yell.

"Yah!" and its repetition three times, now telling of the savages being
scattered. And then--

"Oh, dear! oh, dear! Where can they be got to? I'm sure I saw 'em come
by here."

"How--how--how--how!" burst out Bruff, and shaking his head free he
leaped out, followed by Mark and the major, to confront their
spear-armed enemy, about whom the dog was leaping and fawning.

"Why, Jimpny," cried Mark, "is this you?" as he caught the stowaway's
hand.

"You scoundrel!" roared the major. "You frightened us, and--no, you
didn't quite frighten us," he said, correcting himself, "but we thought
you were a savage!"

"So I am, sir," whimpered the man. "Look at me."

He did look one after a fashion as he stood there, Malay spear in hand,
his only garment being a pair of canvas trousers whose legs had been
torn-off half-way above his knees. For he was torn and bleeding from
the effects of thorns, his skin was deeply sunburned, and a fillet tied
about his head, stained red with blood, kept back his tangled hair,
while his eyes had a wild and scared look.

"Well, it was excusable to think you one," said the major.

"But how came you here?" cried Mark excitedly.

"I don't know, sir," whined the man, piteously. "I've been mad, I
think. I believe I'm mad now; and I was just telling myself that it was
another of the dreams I had while I was so bad from this chop on the
head; and that I had only fancied I saw you two shooting, when old Bruff
barked and came out."

"You've been wounded then?"

"Yes, sir, badly, and off my chump."

"But how?"

"One of those Malay chaps gave me a chop on the head with his sword,
sir; and I fell down on the deck and crawled right forward down by the
bowsprit and lay between some ropes and under an old sail, and then I
got mixed."

"Mixed?" said the major.

"Yes, sir; I was so bad I didn't know which I dreamed and which was
real, only it seemed that there was a lot of fighting and shooting and
yelling."

"You didn't dream that," said Mark sadly.

"I'm glad of that, sir; but I suppose I dreamed that the Malay chaps
made the sailors go over the side into one of the boats and row away."

"That must be quite true," said the major gravely.

"But I was very much off my head, sir, and so weak and thirsty. I know
I didn't dream about the fire though, for the ship