Bart assisted to draw the boat well ashore, waiting till a good-sized wave came, and then running the boat on its crest some yards farther up the sand. He looked up then at Jack, who nodded his head, and the canvas-draped figure was lifted out and borne up to where the sand lay soft and thick, as it had been drifted by the gales of the stormy season. As Bart bent beneath his burden he nearly trod upon one of the great land-crabs, with which the place seemed to swarm, the hideous creatures scuffling awkwardly out of his way, snapping their claws menacingly, and rolling their horrible eyes, which stood out on foot-stalks far from their shelly orbits, and gave them a weird look as they seemed to be inspecting the canvas-wrapped bag. "Here?" said Bart, as they reached a smooth spot, where a clump of palms made a slight shade. "Yes," was the laconic reply. "No tools," said Bart, half to himself; "but it don't matter, Abe, old lad. I can scratch a grave for you, and cut your name arter with my knife on one o' them trees." He laid his load tenderly down upon the sand, in the shadiest spot, and then, stripping off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves over his muscle-knotted arms, he began to scrape the sand away rapidly, and soon made a long, narrow trench, though it was not easy work, for the soft, fine, dry sand flowed slowly, as if it were a liquid, back into the trench. "That will do," said Jack, suddenly rising from where he had been kneeling by Abel's side. Bart ceased his task without another word, and at a sign from his companion reverently went to the foot of the canvas-covered figure, while Jack went to the head, and they lifted it into the shallow trench. "And never said so much as a prayer over it!" muttered Bart to himself, as he rapidly scooped back the sand with his hands, till the lower part of his old mate's body was covered, leaving the head instinctively to the last. He was then about to heap the sand over gravewise, but Jack stopped him, and, taking a piece of wreck wood, drew it along the place so as to leave the sand level. "What are you going to do?" he said, sternly, as Bart drew his knife. "Cut a hay and a dee on that there tree," said the man, shortly. "No." "Not cut his letters there?" cried Bart, in a wondering tone. "No, man, no. Do you suppose I am going to leave him here?" Bart closed his knife with a click, and screwed up his face. "You're captain," he said, quietly; "what next?" "Back to the boat." Bart obeyed without another word, and as they walked down over the hot sand, it was to pass several of the land-crabs, which rolled their eyes and leered at them in a goblin way till the boat was launched, the sail hoisted, and they coasted the side of the island to get round to its back, and make sure that the schooner had not cast anchor off this--one of the rendezvous for boats which had missed the schooner after being sent away upon some expedition.