the professor said. "I am anxious to get to our
journey's end."

"Don't say that," said Lawrence, almost reproachfully; "one seems to be
so happy, and everything is so delightful out here in the sunshine. I
should like to go sailing on like this for ever."

"If we had some cushions," put in Mr Burne, who had overheard his
remark. "Well, it doesn't matter to a few days, one way or the other,
Preston," he continued; "we are very comfortable considering, my back's
better, and this is easy travelling, so never mind about Yussuf's
suspicions. All nonsense."

That day glided away, the brilliant night came, and with it the nervous
feeling of all being not as it should be.

Nothing more had been said to Mr Burne till quite evening, but then the
professor felt it to be his duty to speak of the suspicion, and did so;
but the old lawyer laughed.

"What nonsense, Preston!" he said; "why, the man and his crew are like
so many good-tempered gypsy boys. No, sir, I am not going to be scared
because the night is coming on. Poor fellows, they are honest enough.
That sour Turk--I don't like the fellow--has been filling our heads with
nonsense to make himself seem more important. It's all right."

"I hope it is," said the professor to himself, and in due course he lay
down, but not to sleep.

During the day, by a quiet understanding, he and Yussuf had taken it in
turns to snatch an hour's repose, with the result that they were far
better prepared to encounter the night than might have been supposed.

"We will lie down, excellency," Yussuf took the opportunity of
whispering; "but one of us must not sleep."

After a time the old lawyer, who had been leaning back watching the
stars from far above till they seemed to dip down in the transparent
sea, yawned aloud, and then began to talk in an unknown tongue, using a
strange guttural language which for the most part consisted of a
repetition, at regular intervals, of the word "_Snorruk_," and this had
a wonderful effect upon his companions, who had felt listless and drowsy
after the hot day; but the coolness of the night and the interesting
nature of Mr Burne's discourse effectually banished sleep, and hence it
was that, when the skipper and a couple of his men came stealing aft to
apparently change the steersman, the professor sat up, and Lawrence saw
that Yussuf was wide awake and on the _qui vive_.

This occurred three times, and then the rosy morning lit up the tops of
the