"Shove off! shove off!" screamed Brand, as he seized the raft-pole to push the floating platform away from the beach.
"Not yet!" cried Mary, noticing that her lover, who had paused to collect the jackets left in the huts, and also a few of the biscuits, was not upon the raft.
In a moment the young man came panting to the beach.
Brand, however, not heeding the girl's exclamation was about shoving off, when Turk caught his arm.
"Avast there, captain! Don't be in too much of a hurry!"
Enraged, the latter glared upon the speaker, but this was no time for quarreling.
Harry now sprang from the raft. At the same moment two of the savages, ahead of their companions, arriving, seized the rope attached to the floating platform, which they endeavored to pull ashore.
To prevent their doing so, Harry stepped to the edge of the raft, and with the pole endeavored to strike them on the head.
One of them seizing the pole, gave it a sudden jerk, thus pulling the young man off into the water!