There may be no reason why they should come up to this plateau." The captain smiled a very sombre smile.

"If any of them should come this way," he said, "it is possible that they might not think it worth while to cease their search along the beach and come up to this particular spot, were it not that our boat is down there.

That is the same thing as if we had put out a sign to tell them where we are.

The boat is hauled up on shore, but they could not fail to see it." "Captain," said Miss Markham, "do you think those Rackbirds killed the three sailors ?" "I am very much afraid of it," he answered.

"If they did, they must have known that these poor fellows were survivors of a shipwreck, and I suppose they stole up behind them and shot them down or stabbed them.