"Then he ought to know better," said the doctor quickly. "Nothing to be ashamed of, my lad. Imagination's a queer thing. I once fainted because I thought I had cut myself, while I was skinning a dog which had been poisoned. I was a student then, and knew the dangers of wounds from a poisoned knife; and, by the way, we must take care of the wounds from poisoned arrows. Well, when I washed my hand there wasn't a scratch. You couldn't help it, Jack. Any man might be seized like that after seeing Death make two darts at him and feeling him strike." [Half a page of text missing here.] "Is any one hurt?" said a voice then; and Mr Bartlett's head appeared above the edge of the lava wall. "No; all right. Only an alarm, and a narrow escape. How about the savages?" "They're gone in the direction of the yacht, gentlemen, and we must get back as quickly as we can." "Ah, look! look!" cried Ned excitedly, as he pointed out to sea; "there's a canoe--two canoes--three." They followed the direction of his pointing finger, and saw plainly enough three long, low vessels full of men gliding by, with their matting sails glistening in the sun, and not two miles out from where they stood. "Worse and worse," said the mate. "We must get back to the yacht, gentlemen." "Of course," said Sir John, drawing a deep breath. "Why, there must be a hundred men in those canoes." "Quite that, sir, I'm afraid," replied the mate. "Quick, please. It will be terrible if they attack the captain while he is so short-handed." "But he has the big guns, and the men are well-trained," said the doctor, as they hurried down to the boats. "What is the use of them, sir, when a crowd of reckless savages are swarming over the sides? He is lying at anchor too, and the yacht is made helpless." The men were soon in their places, pulling a long, steady stroke, and thinking nothing of the hot sunshine. "It is of no use to try and hide ourselves," said the mate, "for it is a race between us who shall get there first." "But they can't know the yacht is there," said Sir John. "Perhaps not, sir; but they will soon sight us, and then run for the opening in the reef, if they were not already going there." "Well, there's one advantage on our side," said the doctor; "they can't attack us till they get through the reef, so we're safe till then." "Yes, sir," said the mate bitterly; "but I was thinking of the captain, and his anxiety, alone there." "Yes, of course," said Sir John; and he looked at the mate when he could do so unobserved; and it seemed to Jack that he thought more highly of Mr Bartlett than ever. They had been rowing abreast, with the waters of the lagoon perfectly smooth; but as they began to round one of the huge buttresses of lava which had run down into the lake, they saw that the water all beyond was disturbed by a breeze.