The raft went about clumsily on the other tack and heeled over so that her port side was deep in the water, which afforded us good protection from the island.  We kept close watch on the edge of the jungle, but nothing menaced us, although the tangle of brush and creepers might have been full of men and we little the wiser.

“Over with the helm now, but not too quick, and hold her steady when she stands for the land and don’t get scared at a little surf.  Keep her head on until she grounds, and then take to the water and rush ashore with some of the gear while I get the rigging down.

“See that you keep your pistols out of the water, and dump the gear in the brush.  Rajah will hold her steady while we lighten her a bit, and then we’ll drag her in with the swells.”

The raft turned in a great circle and plunged for the rollers straight before the breeze.  The captain cut away the stays just before she struck and we went into waist-deep water on a hard, sandy bottom.  The heave of the incoming swells threatened to break her open in the middle as she swung broadside against the hard shingle.

We lost a few things which didn’t matter much, but, as our matches and biscuits and spare ammunition were sealed in oil cans, along with salt and cigars, most of such stuff as broke loose floated ashore and we saved it.  Our chief difficulty was in saving the small casks of water and the sack full of cooking utensils and camp tools.

I danced a lively jig as I ran into the burning sand, and Riggs had to laugh at me as I retreated out of it and put on my shoes while standing in the water, but he took the same precaution.  When we had hidden our stores just inside the fringe of the jungle, we sank the raft close under the ledge of rocks by filling her with big stones; and, while we were busy at this work, Rajah went up on the point and concealed himself among the boulders in a position where he could get a view of the beach beyond.

We kept our pistols slung about our necks on shortened belts, and, whenever the opportunity offered, watched the beach and jungle.  We were kept on the alert, for we could not shake off the disconcerting feeling that we were being watched from the brush by the pirates, getting ready to ambush us at their leisure the minute we relaxed our vigilance.

“Look at Rajah,” I said to Riggs.  “He looks like a big red and green and black lizard crouched up there in the rocks.”

“That black boy is a big help,” said Riggs.  “The lad has more savvy than ye’d think.  He seems to know just what to do in any emergency.  And fight!  A mad Arab that I shipped in Aden made for me one day in the Red Sea.  I didn’t mind the chap till he was ’most on me, and a bit more and he’d had me.  Rajah got him with the kris.

“Lucky for Thirkle the boy had lost it last night when they had me going over the bows!  He was after Thirkle then, when a sea come over and upset him, and away went his knife and—­”