Had I come a day later, the job of transformation would have been complete, and the sloop might have been lost to me forever. I counted myself lucky at having made the trip of investigation as soon as I had.
An instant later I looked around to see if Carney was where I left him, and I was chagrined to note that he had disappeared.
CHAPTER VIII.
A BLOW FROM BEHIND.
For an instant I did not know what to do. Carney had vanished, and that, I was satisfied, boded no good to me.
With my gun ready for use, I picked my way back to the rock nearest to my boat, intending to embark at once. The man was probably not alone on the island, and had gone off for assistance. Perhaps he would soon appear with the other two men Tom Darrow had mentioned.
But as I jumped aboard my boat another surprise awaited me. Carney was hidden under an old sail forward, and I had hardly set foot upon deck when he jumped up and struck me a cruel blow from behind.
“Take that for interfering with me!” he cried.
I caught but a glimpse of him; then came the blow, and I saw millions of stars. I staggered forward, and for a while my senses forsook me.
I think I remained unconscious at least a quarter of an hour. When I came to I found myself lying on the bottom of my sloop.