With such discussions and speculations the day passed, without bringing anything fresh in the way of enlightenment. When evening came, Jack declared his fixed resolution not to allow the puzzle to deprive him of another night’s sleep. After supper, therefore, he went off incontinently to bed; and as Armeath shut himself up as usual, Gerald was left to himself. Still restless and perplexed, dissatisfied with the explanations and theories which had been propounded, Gerald felt no inclination to ’turn in.’ Something within him—some vague impulse he could not analyse, above all, the recollection of the mysterious, shadowy figures he believed he had seen through the semi-transparent ’shell,’ as Jack now called it—urged him to remain on the watch. ’As Mr Armeath says,’ he thought to himself, ’if a wind were to spring up it might be gone by to-morrow. We may as well, therefore, keep an eye on it while it is here, and watch its departure when it goes.’ In order to carry out his idea, he required a reliable assistant, and this he found in Tom Clinch. Not only had Tom known Gerald all his life, as already stated, but he had served his father before him, and he had now transferred his devotion to the son. When, therefore, the young fellow sought him out and told him what he required, Tom was ready enough to lend his aid. ’We ’ll keep a watch, Mr Gerald,’ he responded, ’turn and turn about, all night, an’ have the boat ready in case we wants it. Fur my part, I think ye’re only actin’ cautious-like. Nobody can tell what’s goin’ to happen next when things like this once begin fallin’ from the skies. I’ve ’eerd it said as ’ow theer’s supposed to be a great bear, an’ scorpions, an’ crabs in the sky. An’ after this, who can say but they might come a-rainin’ down on us an’ eat us all up in our sleep?’ Honest Tom had heard vaguely of the constellations of stars called by those names, and had very loose notions as to what they meant. ’Well, I hope it won’t be as bad as that,’ Gerald answered with a smile. ’But I shall be very glad of your company on my night-watch, all the same.’ So it was arranged; and the two betook themselves to a part of the shore where there was a cave which had been utilised as a boathouse, and here they began their watch. The night turned out as fine as the previous one, except that there were a few drifting clouds which now and again obscured the light of the moon. There was scarcely any breeze, however, and the sea was, as Tom put it, ’as calm and still as a pint of stale beer.’ For a long time nothing occurred, though they kept up their watch till the moon had set, and it had become quite dark. Then they saw again the luminous appearance which they had noticed before. ’Now this is what I want to investigate, Tom,’ said Gerald. ’Get out the boat quickly, and let us pull close up as silently as we can.’