"I heard nothing," said the captain, softly. "I'm afraid, Dutch Pugh, that we have frightened ourselves rather too much. All we need fear now is the weather. Perhaps we might have a little trouble with the Indians if they found us out; but we could easily keep them at bay." "I certainly heard an unusual sound," replied Dutch. "Let's walk quietly forward." They walked towards the bows, and as they did so a dark figure that had been lying a couple of yards from Dutch, close beneath the bulwarks, glided softly away, like some huge snake. So dark was it that it was hard to distinguish the outlines, and to trace where the figure went, while its movements were so silent that the two watchers saw nothing. They went and spoke to the man leaning over the bows, who proved to be Dick Rolls. "Heard anything?" said the captain, going up so silently that the man started. "Lord's truth, capen, don't do that!" he exclaimed, in an injured tone. "It's skeary enough here listening to the things creeping about in the wood there. No, I ain't heard nothing else." "Keep a sharp look-out," said the captain, and the man uttered a growl. Walking softly aft, they found the man on the watch to be Bob Lennie, who was seated on the bulwarks, making a sort of humming noise to himself, under the impression that he was singing. He, too, allowed himself to be so closely approached that they almost touched him before he spoke. "No," he said, slowly, "I ain't seed nor heered anything; only the lights over yonder in the woods, and the black things crawling in and out of the water where that there patch o' yaller sand is." "You must have been mistaken, Pugh," said the captain. "All's right; let's go and turn in." Dutch followed him down the cabin stairs, and the deck was left to the watch. For quite half an hour all was perfectly still, except when some strange forest cry arose, and then two figures stole softly out from under the bulwarks, and went forward, to find that Dick Rolls had joined his fellow-watcher for company's sake. That was sufficient. The next minute the falls were seized, and the little dingy which hung from the davits was softly lowered into the water; two men slid down the ropes, unhooked the boat as it rose with the swell, and, without attempting to use the sculls, let the current drift them slowly away into the bank of darkness that closed the vessel round.