flaming points of fire, glare at him out of the blackness; but as it
was not repeated, he assured himself that it was only his nervous
imagination and composed himself to sleep once more.

A sharp thunder storm raged above them shortly before daybreak and
they were compelled to seek what shelter they could under a fallen
tree trunk. The storm was the one that had blackened the sky some
hours before. Luckily it was as short as it was sharp, and when the
sun rose it showed them a scene of glistening tropic beauty.

But the boys had little eye for scenery.

"What are we going to do for breakfast?" was Billy's manner of voicing
the general question that beset them all after they had washed off
some of the mud of the night before.

"Tighten our belts," grinned Harry.

"Not much; not while them oysters is there waiting to be picked,"
exclaimed Ben pointing to some branches which dipped in the sea and to
which bunches of the bivalves were clinging.

"I've got some biscuits in my pocket," said Frank, "I brought them on
deck with me last night in case I got hungry on watch."

"Well, we'll do fine," cheerfully said Ben, as having heated some
stones he set the oysters to broil on them.

Despite his cheerful tone, however, not one of the little party was
there that did not think with longing regrets of the snowy linen and