alive (you'll say); but the most part of Gunn's time (this is what you'll say) - the most part of his time Was took up with another matter. And then you'll give him a nip, like I do.'

And he pinched me again in the most confidential manner.

`Then,' he continued - `then you'll up, and you'll say this: - Gunn is a good man (you'll say), and he puts a precious sight more confidence - a precious sight, mind that - in a gen'leman born than in these gen'lemen of fortune, having been one himself.'

`Well,' I said, `I don't understand one word that you've been saying. But that's neither here nor there; for how am I to get on board?'

`Ah,' said he, `that's the hitch, for sure. Well, there's my boat, that I made with my two hands. I keep her under the white rock. If the worst come to the worst, we might try that after dark. Hi!' he broke out, `what's that?'

For just then, although the sun had still an hour or two to run, all the echoes of the island awoke and bellowed to the thunder of a cannon.

`They have begun to fight!' I cried. `Follow me.'

And I began to run towards the anchorage, my terrors all forgotten; while, close at my side, the marooned man in his goatskins trotted easily and lightly.

`Left, left,' says he; `keep to your left hand, mate Jim! Under the trees with you! Theer's where I killed my first goat. They don't come down here now; they're all mast-headed on them mountings for the fear of Benjamin Gunn. Ah! and there's the cemetery' - cemetery, he must have meant. `You see the mounds? I come here and prayed, nows and thens, when I thought maybe a Sunday would be about doo. It weren't quite a chapel, but it seemed more solemn like; and then, says you, Ben Gunn was short-handed - no chapling, nor so much as a Bible and a flag, you says.'

So he kept talking as I ran, neither expecting nor receiving any answer.

The cannon-shot was followed, after a considerable interval, by a volley of small arms.

Another pause, and then, not a quarter of a mile in front of me, I beheld the Union Jack flutter in the air above a wood.