avage

ayton was emerging on deck for his accustomed walk before

acing the little knot of officers was the entire motley c

points of vantage behind masts, wheel-house and cabin they returned th

n the first mate lunged forward upon his face, and at a cry of command from Black Michael the mutineers charged the remaining f

te's gun had jammed, and so there were but two weapons opposed to the mutineers as they bore

ther with the reports of the firearms and the screams and groans of the

n the hands of a burly Negro cleft the captain from forehead to chin, and an instant

ll John Clayton had stood leaning carelessly beside the companionway puffing meditat

was time that he returned to his wife lest s

nd wrought up, for he feared for his wife's safety at the hands of these i

e was surprised to see his wife stan

ve you been

awful, John. Oh, how awful! What can we

wered, smiling bravely in a

. Come with me, Alice. We must not let them

her partiality or compassion proceeded to throw both living and dead over the side

laytons, and with a cry of: "Here's two more for

the fellow went down with a bullet in his

ed the attention of the others, and, po

s, and they are to be lef

ded, turning to Clayton. "Just keep to yourselves, and nobo

so well that they saw but little of the crew an

o occasions the vicious bark of firearms rang out on the still air. But Black Michael was a

r island or mainland, Black Michael did not know, but he announced to Clayton that if investigation s

e been able to make an inhabited coast somewhere and scatter a bit. Then I'll see that

without a lot o' questions being asked, an' none o' u

them upon an unknown shore to be left to the mercies

to anger Black Michael, so he was forced to desi

bout off a beautiful wooded shore opposite the m

sound the entrance in an effort to determine if the

ported deep water through the passage

lly at anchor upon the bosom of the st

e, while in the distance the country rose from the ocean in hi

e abundant bird and animal life of which the watchers on the Fuwalda's deck caught occasional glimpses, as

t contemplation of their future abode. From the dark shadows of the mighty forest came the wild ca

the horrors lying in wait for them in the awful blackness of the nig

on the morrow. They tried to persuade him to take them to some more hospitable coast near enough to civilization

's the sensible way to make sure of our own necks, yet Black Michael's not the man to forget a

their minds about giving ye that much show. I'll put all yer stuff ashore with ye as well as cookin

get safely hid away I'll see to it that the British gover'ment learns about where ye be; for the li

went silently below, each wr

t of their whereabouts, nor was he any too sure but that some treachery was contemplated for the followin

the men might strike them down, and sti

be faced with far graver dangers? Alone, he might hope

ife so soon to be launched amidst the hard

of their situation. But it was a merciful Providence which prevented him from fore

boxes were hoisted on deck and lowered to wai

d a possible five to eight years' residence in their new home. Thus, in addi

should be left on board. Whether out of compassion for them, or in

ssing British official upon a suspicious vessel would have been

ions that he insisted upon the return of Clayton's revol

small supply of potatoes and beans, matches, and cooking vessels, a c

ccompanied them to shore, and was the last to leave them when the small boats, having

on and his wife stood silently watching their departure-in the bre

ridge, other eyes watched-close set, wic

r and out of sight behind a projecting point, Lady Alice threw

had looked into the terrible future; but now that the horror of absolute so

way in relieving these long-pent emotions, and it was many minutes before t

, "the horror of it. What are

sitting in their snug living room at home, "and that is work. Work must be our salv

ome quickly, when once it is apparent that the Fuwalda has bee

ou and I," she sobbed, "we c

we must face it, as we must face whatever comes, bravely and with the utmos

nt past faced the same problems which we must face, possibly in these

the means of protection, defense, and sustenance which science has given us, but of which they were totally ignoran

t I am but a woman, seeing with my heart rather than my head, and a

ll do my best to be a brave primeval w

g shelter for the night; something which might s

ght both be armed against possible attack while at work, and then to

tually to build a permanent house, but for the time being they both thought it best to construct a l

other trees he constructed a framework around them, about ten feet from the ground, fastening the ends of the branches

is platform he paved with the huge fronds of elephant's ear which grew in profusion

ter platform to serve as roof, and from the sides of th

ttle nest, to which he carried their b

aylight hours were devoted to the building of a rude ladde

nt plumage, and dancing, chattering monkeys, who watched these new arrivals and their

had seen their little simian neighbors come screaming and chattering from the near-by ridge, casting frightened glances back over the

a great basin with water from the near-by stream, the two

and as they sat, like Turks, upon their blankets, Lady Alice, straining her eyes int

pered, "look! Wh

ated, he saw silhouetted dimly against the shadows be

ening and then turned slowly, and me

is it,

"it is too dark to see so far, and it may hav

it was some huge and grotesque

s, whispering words of cou

securely to the trees so that, except for a little

they lay down upon their blankets to try to gain,

at the front, a rifle and a b

hear the great beast directly beneath them. For an hour or more they heard it sniffing and clawing at the trees which supported their platform, but at l

at jungle teeming with myriad animal life kept their overwrought nerves on edge, so that a hundred times