h
mortification and chagrin, as he saw his much-asserted ghostly theories
shattered.

The effect on Chris' humorous nature was different. The first
expression of relief on his little ebony face was succeeded by a broad
grin.

"Golly," he giggled, "an' me an' Massa Capt was scart nigh to death by
a poor ole harmless monkey."

Few men like to be placed in a ridiculous position and the captain
turned on the little darky in a rage.

"Shut up, you grinning little imp," he shouted, "or I'll thrash you so
you can't sit down for a week. What call have you got to be giggling
over the death of one of your ancestors?"

Chris checked the flow of words on his tongue, but sat rocking back and
forth in glee muttering, "Golly, only a monkey. A poor, old,
he-monkey," until the irate captain chased him out of ear-shot.

Leaving the captain and Chris to the settlement of their trouble,
Walter took one of the canoes' paddles and proceeded to the chapel.
Just outside its wall he dug a deep grave, and carrying the faithful
old monkey to it he lowered him gently to the bottom and filling up the
grave again, heaped a little pile of stones on the mound.

To the tender-hearted lad there was something pathetic and touching in
the way the poor creature had met its death.

Charley's illness cast a gloom over even the irrepressible Chris, and
breakfast was eaten in sad silence.

As soon as he had finished, Chris shouldered one of the rifles and
headed for the landing to watch for the outlaws, while the captain and
Walter repaired to the hut to attend to the stricken lad.

There was little they could do to relieve his sufferings beyond
sponging his hot body with a wet cloth and giving him sparingly of the
water that he called for incessantly. At last he sank into a kind of a
stupor and the heavy-hearted watchers stole outside for a breath of
fresh air.

Walter at last broke the silence that hung like a cloud upon them.
"I've been thinking," he said, "that it might not be a bad plan to meet
the outlaws at the landing. We could dispose of several before they
could get on shore."

"No," said his companion decidedly, "they would only land in some other
place and maybe cut us off from the hut. You mark my words, lad,
Charley thought over every side of this question before he laid his
plans an' we can't do better than follow them. The most we can hope to
do is to hold this hut until Little Tiger comes with his people."

Their furth