Just as Jack was about to turn to Joe again, the boy opened his eyes.
"Where am I?" he gasped, struggling to a sitting posture.
"You are all right now, old fellow," returned Jack, in a voice that was meant to be cheerful, though it hardly expressed it.
"Oh, I remember"—and a shudder passed over the boy's frame—"some horrible creature was dragging me away, and I—I fainted."
"That is what you did, Joe. Why is it you faint away so often? You put me in mind of a girl sometimes."
"Do I?"—and the face of Joe turned a deep crimson. "I suppose it is my weak nature that makes me swoon every time something awful frightens me; but I won't do it any more, for it might be the means of us both losing our lives."
"Well, never mind, Joe," said Jack, in a kindly tone. "You are a brave little fellow in times of danger, and I can't blame you for fainting when such a thing as those down there gets a hold of you."
"Are there any more of them around, then?"
And the boy shifted his position so as to get a view of the hideous creatures that surrounded the rock.
"Well," said he, after a pause, "I am not afraid of them now. If we each had a good club, we could jump down there and kill the whole lot of them in a very few minutes. They are nothing but land crabs, though much larger than any I have ever seen before. A sharp blow will crush the shell upon them, and then they are helpless."