Mr. Brown and myself consulted together for a few minutes, and then concluded to give him a thousand dollars in gold coin; and when we announced our decision, the shepherd was frantic with delight.

“O, luddy!” he cried, “wouldn’t I have a time to-night if I was in London and had this money in my pocket?  Wouldn’t I drink ’alf and ’alf till I couldn’t speak, and then go to bed with—­”

So elated did Day get with the idea that he clapped his hands together, and sprang into the air, cutting antics of the most singular kind.  While he was thus expressing his gratitude, and even while his face was teeming with pleasure, I saw a wonderful change come over it.  He stopped speaking, and muttered,—­

“D——­n ’em; now they have done it, and no mistake!”

“What is the matter, Day?” asked Mr. Brown, rather sternly, thinking the remark was applied to us.

The shepherd pointed with his hand in the direction of the main land, and one look was sufficient to convince us that the threat which Sam had uttered was no idle one, for a cloud of black smoke was issuing from the trees, not in one place alone, but in fifty, and before we could recover from our astonishment, a sheet of flame darted from the woods, and gathering headway as it crept along, seized upon the dry grass, and rapidly approached the peninsula.

CHAPTER LXXIII.

THE ESCAPE FROM THE FIRE.

All the troubles through which we had passed were mere child’s play compared to our situation at the present time, for a forest on fire was a danger that was calculated to test our energies to the utmost if we expected to escape with whole skins and our lives.  For a few minutes, therefore, we were overwhelmed and speechless, and gazed into each other’s faces for counsel.  Our first thoughts were that we could remain on the island and escape the fury of the flames, and so we might have done had we possessed water sufficient to quench not only our own thirst but that of the animals.  A moment’s reflection, however, convinced us that we could not exist for half a day where we were, with a scorching sun overhead and a roaring fire in front, and that, if we intended to escape, we must begin to make preparations without delay, as every second the flames increased and extended on all sides.

“Pocket the gold,” shouted Day, setting us an example with his share.  “We will try and save that and our own lives, but as for the rest of the baggage we must leave it behind.”

We were not backward in filling our pockets with the dust and coins and by the time we had secured the last scale Day was saddling the horses and putting on their bridles.

“We can never get the animals through the fire,” Mr. Brown said, well knowing the reluctance with which horses approach flames.

“I’ve thought of that,” responded Day, “and intend to cover their eyes with sheepskins.”