THE PLUME PIRATES 349 



had rightly judged the meaning of the presence 

 of the strange vessel and had sheered off to avoid 

 giving the alarm. When the morning passed 

 without any sign of the Feather Man, Shan grew 

 confident, and when evening came it was all that 

 he could do to keep from showing his delight. 



Ned Thompson noted the boy's manner and 

 questioned him closely, but in vain. Shan had al- 

 ways found it easy to keep silence, and, as night 

 came on and Jiis broken wrist gave him more and 

 more pain, he set his will definitely to the intention 

 of not saying a word about the Feather Man and 

 the motor boat should fever and delirium set in. 



He was tormented by thirst, and Ned Thompson, 

 knowing this, had left a jug of water near the boy, 

 just out of reach. He was tormented even more 

 by a sense of his own helplessness, and his enemy, 

 realizing this, laid the boy where he could not help 

 but see the Japanese poachers clubbing the confid- 

 ing Albatrosses, stunning them or breaking their 

 legs and cutting the wings from the living birds. 



Two little Albatross chicks, just able to walk, 

 deserted by the death of their parents, had toddled 

 within reach of Shan, and the boy had allowed the 

 fluffy chicks to snuggle under his arm as he lay 

 there. His tongue was black with thirst and his 



