Guided by Tom's pocket compass, they steered westward of south, which
was the direction Nick and Pipes wished them to take.

The two Papuans explained that they would have to go out of their way to
reach the river, and advised them to keep in the direction they were now
pursuing.

During the day they travelled on without stopping, anxious to get away
from the sea-board. It was evidently the most thickly populated part of
the country, while, judging from what they had seen, there were few or
no inhabitants in the interior. In the afternoon, as they were moving
on, Pipes, who had been scouting in front, came back and made a sign to
them all to get under the cover of some bushes, which he pointed out
close at hand.

Scarcely had they crouched down, when they heard the voices of a party
of natives who passed close by without discovering them. Further on
they came upon a plantation, with a number of women working on it. By
turning aside in time, they escaped observation. They were, however,
afraid of lighting a fire that night, lest it might betray their
whereabouts to the natives. They had, fortunately, preserved some of
the cooked meat before starting, and had enough for supper, with the
help of some fruit. Tom urged all hands, each man in his turn, to keep
a strict watch; for having no fire there would be a great risk of being
attacked by wild beasts. All promised to obey his injunctions.

Tom intended to take the first watch, Casey the next, Desmond the third,
and Billy--who, it was hoped, after a good sleep, would keep awake--the
fourth. The three first had carefully kept their watches, moving round
and round their sleeping companions, so that no savage beast could
approach unperceived. Desmond, however, fancied that he saw some object
moving amid the trees in the gloom. At last he called up Billy, and
charged him to keep a bright look-out. "If you don't, depend upon it
you or some of us will be carried off by one of those beasts of tigers,"
he said, with much emphasis. "I have not felt so uncomfortable for a
long time as I have been during the time I have been on the watch."

Billy promised to remain broad awake and to keep his weather eye open.

"Mind you do!" said Desmond, as he lay down.

The whole camp was awakened by a fearful shriek and a loud cry from
Billy, and starting to their feet, they saw by the light of the day,
which had just broken, a huge animal carrying off Peter, the black, in
i