me here," replied Mark. "I'm not so tired now."

The captain was so anxious that he did not press him; and after a word
or two to the occupants of the boat, from which the major had sprung to
join them, they went on.

The walk seemed as if it would never end; but at last Mark pointed to a
couple of particularly tall palm-trees.

"It was about a hundred yards beyond these, father," said Mark; and as
his voice was heard a sound or two came off the water, when a low angry
bark was heard, and then a dull rushing sound of feet.

"Bruff! Bruff!--where are they, Bruff?"

The dog uttered a joyous whine as he seemed to leap upon them from out
of the transparent darkness, and five minutes later the ladies'
anxieties were temporarily at an end.

"There is nothing to mind," the captain said as he helped them down to
the boat. "The Malays will no doubt pass us by. I expect that by
morning they will be many miles away. Still it is a bit of a scare."

Neither Mark nor Mrs Strong made any reply; but the stowaway, who was
pretty well recovered from his exhaustion, whispered to Billy Widgeon
that he hoped it might be so; and then silence fell upon the boat as
they rowed slowly back toward the crater, where it was the captain's
intention to get the ladies on board the little vessel. But this proved
to be no easy task in the darkness, and at last it was decided to make
the sands their couch for the night, and then see what the day would
bring forth.

Mark was so utterly wearied out, that after partaking of his share of
the refreshments left, he lay for a few minutes gazing at the
reflections of the flickering light from the mountain cast upon the sea,
and then dropped fast asleep, but only to be awakened by a sound like
thunder reverberating overhead. It died away and all was silence and
darkness again; and then all seemed to be nothingness as he fell into a
dreamless sleep, hardly even conscious of whether a watch was kept.

Mark was awakened by a hand being laid upon his mouth and a voice
whispering in his ear the one word, "Hush!"

It was dark still and the stars were shining, while every now and then
there was a flash as of lightning followed by an intense blackness in
which the pained eyes seemed to repeat the form of the flash.

"What is the matter?" whispered Mark.

"Don't speak, but get up and follow. The others have gone on. Above
all things keep that dog from barking."

"The Malays have come!" thought Mark