Page:Ballantyne--The Battery and the Boiler.djvu/204

 was a babby. I only hope it 'll take a pleasanter turn if it 's agoin' to continue."

With this philosophical reflection the sailor shut his eyes, and disposed himself to sleep until the period of real waking should arrive.

Thinking this the best thing he could do in the circumstances, his rescuers turned to examine whether any of the others had survived the explosion, but, finding that all were dead or had sunk, they returned to the land.

Here, after securing the raft, they made a sort of litter, with the sail spread on the oar and a plank, on which they carried the sailor to the sheltered spot whence they had witnessed the fight. As the poor man had by that time fallen into a genuine slumber—which appeared to be dreamless—he was left under the care of Stumps and Slagg, while Sam and Robin went off to ascertain whether or not the island was inhabited.

"We will go straight up to the highest point at once, so as to get a bird's-eye view of it," said Sam. "I can't help thinking that it must be inhabited, for these scoundrels would not care to land, I should fancy, unless there was some one to rob."

"It may be so, Sam. But if they had come to rob, don't you think they would not have returned to their ship without captives or booty?"

"There is something in that, Robin. Come; we shall see."