The others were gathered on the shore awaiting their return, and they listened attentively to what was told them.
"Oh, Lesher wanted to be leader, you could see that right off," declared Tom. "And Baxter will do anything to make it disagreeable for us boys," he continued.
"Well, there is one satisfaction," said Nellie. "We haven't Baxter with us."
"If only a ship would stop here and take us away!" sighed Dora. To her it seemed like an age since they had landed on the seven islands.
"After this we must keep a regular guard," announced Dick. "Unless we do that, somebody may play us foul when we least expect it."
Slowly the day wore away. By the aid of the spyglass they could see the sailors still on the deck of the wreck. Nobody appeared to go ashore.
That night it fell to Sam's lot to be on guard from nine to ten o'clock. The camp-fire was left burning brightly, and the youngest Rover sat near it on a log, a gun in his lap.
"No wild beast shall surprise me," he told himself, and kept his eyes on the jungle back of the house.
His time for guard duty had almost come to an end when a noise down on the beach attracted his attention. By the faint light he made out a raft, which had just come in, bearing the figures of two sailors.
"Stop!" he called out. "Do not come closer at your peril!"