ings, Moses, for
I know of no other kind of fear."

"Pr'aps da's it!" said the negro with a bright look, "now I wouldn't
wonder if you's right, Massa Nadgel. It neber come into my head in dat
light before. I used to be t'ink, t'inkin' ob nights--when I's tired ob
countin' my fingers an' toes. But I couldn't make nuffin' ob it. _Now_
I knows! It's 'fraid I am ob hurtin' his feelin's."

In the excess of his satisfaction at the solution of this long-standing
puzzle, Moses threw back his head, shut his eyes, opened his enormous
mouth and chuckled.

By the time he had reversed this process they were sufficiently near to
Krakatoa to distinguish all its features clearly, and the negro began to
point out to Nigel its various localities. There were three prominent
peaks on it, he said, named respectively, Perboewatan, about 400 feet
high, at the northern end of the island; Danan, near the centre, 1500
feet; and Rakata, at the southern end, over 2600 feet. It was high up
on the sides of the last cone that the residence of the hermit was
situated.

"And you won't tell me your master's name?" said Nigel.

Moses shook his woolly head. "No, sar, no. I's 'fraid ob him--he! he!
I 'fraid ob hurtin' his feelin's!"

"Well, never mind; I'll find it out from himself soon. By the way, what
were you telling me about explosions yesterday when that little white
gull came to admire your pretty face, and took off our attention?"

"Well, I dun know. Not got much to tell, only dar's bin rumblin' an'
grumblin's an' heavin's lately in de mountains as didn't use to be, an'
cracks like somet'in' bustin' down b'low, an' massa he shook 'is head
two or t'ree times an' look solemn. He don't often do dat--shook 'is
head, I mean--for he mostly always looks solemn."

A few minutes later the boat, running through a narrow opening among the
rocks into a small circular harbour not more than fifty yards in
diameter, rested its keel gently on a little bed of pure yellow sand.
The shore there was so densely covered with bushes that the harbour
might easily have been passed without being observed.

Jumping ashore, Moses made the painter fast to a tree.

"What a quiet, cosy place!" said Nigel, as he sprung on the beach and
looked admiringly round.

"Yes, an' not easy to find if you don't knows 'im. We will leabe de
boat here,--no danger ob bein' tooked away--an' den go up to de cave."

"Is it far?" asked Nigel.

"A good bit--near de top o