or the sound of his footsteps.
Five--ten minutes--a quarter of an hour passed away. At last I thought
I heard the breathing of a person toiling up a hill. It might be a
savage, though. I kept my rifle ready, in case it should prove an
enemy. To my great satisfaction it proved to be Ben. He came loaded
with bread-fruits and cocoa-nuts, and what was undoubtedly the hind
quarters of a pig, while a calabash full of water hung round his neck.
"I was afraid that I should have to come back without anything for my
trouble," said he. "Just then, under a tree, I stumbled over these
provisions. How they came there I don't know, but there they are and
let us be thankful."

We roused up Mr Brand and the doctor. They carefully examined the
provisions, and agreed that they were very good of their sort, so we set
to, and made a very hearty breakfast. From the place where Ben found
the food, Mr Brand was of opinion that it had been left there expressly
for us, but whether by a friend or by our enemies, for the purpose of
entrapping us, it was difficult to say.

The day, as it advanced, threatened to be very stormy. The clouds came
driving across the sky, and a gale began to blow, such as is rarely seen
in those latitudes. It gave us rest, however, for the natives are not
fond of venturing out in such weather, and we had less fear of being
attacked. During the night we were aroused by hearing a gun fired. We
peered out seaward through the darkness; another gun was heard, and a
flash was seen. It was evidently from a vessel in distress. It was
just before daybreak. The dawn came and revealed to us a schooner, with
all her canvas gone, drifting towards the breakers, which rolled in with
terrific power, a quarter of a mile from the shore. We gazed at the
vessel; we all knew her at a glance, even through the gloom. She was
the pirate schooner. On she drove. In another instant she was among
the foaming breakers. Her time had come at last. We could hear the
shrieks and despairing cries of the wretched men on board. She struck
very near the spot where the whaler had been lost. Over the reef she
drove. We could see the people one after the other washed overboard,
and engulfed by the foaming waters. To help them would have been
impossible, even had we not had to consider our own safety. At last one
man appeared in the clear water inside the breakers. He seemed to be
swimming, though he advanced but slowly, and we saw