They could see the beach with far greater clearness than usual to-day.
It was crowded with savages running to and fro, into the bush and out of it, in a state apparently of great excitement.
At this distance they resembled nothing more than a hive of bees about to swarm.
Independent of innumerable dug-outs drawn up here and there were no less than five huge war-canoes.
Tandy turned away with a slight sigh.
“Just as the cup of joy,” he said, “was being held to our lips, ill-fortune seems to have snatched it away.”
“Heigho!” sighed Halcott, “how I envy honest James for the hopefulness that he never appears to lose, even in the very darkest hours, the hours of what we should call despair.
“But look,” he continued, pointing towards Fire Hill. “Not a cloud to be seen!”
“The volcano is dead!” said Tandy, with knitted brows; “and now, indeed, we shall have to fight.”
Halcott took Tandy’s hand, while he looked calmly into his face.