"Nemesis, my son," exclaimed Vivian, "you didn't half chuck your weight about when yours was the only cabin that wasn't infested by those flying cockroaches in the Red Sea. I'd advise you to surround your tent with barbed-wire entanglements, and keep a Lewis gun under your pillow. Come on. This won't get the work done, and we've an hour to 'stand easy'." The five set to work with redoubled efforts, and when the time for the midday rest came round the ground was cleared and levelled sufficiently to commence the erection of hangars. "Dick's busy," observed Claverhouse, as the faint report of a rifle-shot rang out. "That's the fifth. Suppose it means pork for the rest of the week." "Or possibly none at all," added Bell. "I was chipping him last night, and said he wouldn't fire a single shot." "He's fired five, anyway," said Fontayne. "If you'd anything on you've lost, my festive. You said 'fire', didn't you?" Upon returning to the landing-place, Claverhouse found Villiers and Beverley resting after their labours, which consisted principally of digging a deep hole and sinking three large barrels in it. These were connected by a pipe, and a small stream of pure water was diverted into them. Trevear and O'Loghlin had practically completed the reassembly of the two dwarf sea-planes, while the rest of the landing-party, under Harborough's supervision, had made great strides with the shore base. Tents were already erected, and a large storehouse, fashioned after the manner of a Canadian lumberman's hut, had grown to a height of five feet. "What have you done to your hand, Claverhouse?" asked Harborough, when the party sat down to an alfresco lunch. "Octopus took a fancy to it," replied the ex-R.A.F. officer. "We'll have to be careful bathing off the rocks. No, it's nothing much, thanks." "We saw a couple of sharks as we rowed ashore," announced Merridew. "They followed the boat into quite shallow water." "We'll have to take precautions when we bathe," remarked Harborough. "No isolated swimming. Keep together, and have a boat ready. Pete, what's the bill of fare?" "All propah, sah," replied the cook, with a terrific smile. "Same as in ole Bahamas." There were roast fowl, taro bread, omelets with bananas and slices of melon--the whole feast provided out of the natural resources of the island. Everyone agreed that it was a fortunate chance that brought Pete on board the _Titania_, for he alone of all the ship's company was well versed in the vegetable products of the tropics.