turned in, so I don't think any of 'em tumbled to what I was up to. Falapa spotted the game, of course; but he kept his head shut, and didn't let on to anybody. That nigger had taken a shine to me or something, I suppose, and didn't want to see me in trouble. I had to be careful, but I managed to get all I needed to drink one way and another, and it made life a bit more bearable.

But I reckon what you're waiting to hear about is the shell. As I told you, the lagoon's plum full of it. Which is only natural, as the stuff has never been touched at all. The beggars do a bit of diving for it sometimes, but that's only when they feel like a feed of oysters. For they don't know enough yet, you understand, to see that it's the shell that's worth money. And you can believe me I took good care not to tell 'em either. If they like to think that the only thing worth having about a pearl oyster is the meatwell, good enough. That's where you and I come in, pard. We know better. And that place is just lousy with shell. It's all prime stuff, too, and there must be enough there to keep this schooner running full for years-if we can only manage to keep the place to ourselves, that is. There's pearls there, too, of course. I've seen Falapa break a tooth on one the size of a gooseberry, and the beggar just cussed a bit. And he says, "That's the trouble with oysters. They

taste good, but they've got stones hidden in 'em that you've got to watch out you don't bite on." Can you beat it? Well, that'll show you what they think about pearls, and you can judge what sort of a proposition it is I'm letting you on to. Why, I think maybe, if we go about the job properly, we'll be able to clean up a pile on the pearls alone, without bothering much about the shell.

The funny thing is, it didn't strike me for months that the place was as good as a goldmine to me. It all belonged to me, of course, because I was the first white man to find it; but I'll admit I was a bit slow to see there was a big pile of cash coming to me if I ever managed to get in touch with civilisation again. I'd been living pretty soft up to then, and not worrying about things much; but when I got on to the fact that, if only I could get away with it, I was a rich man-why, then I got busy. The first idea I had was to rig up a canoe and make her seaworthy, and sail her west in the hope of making Tonga or somewhere. The canoes they had were no good for a trip like that, as you'll have seen for yourself, because the one you picked me up out of was a sample. If I hadn't had the darndest luck and fine weather all the time, I'd never have kept her afloat as long as I did. Well, I did what I could to make a ship-shape looking craft out of one of the things, but it didn't take me

long to see it wasn't any use. I hadn't the tools or the timber to make a real job out of a canoe, so I had to give up the notion of getting myself off the island.

When I got on to the fact that I was stuck on the place for good and all unless a ship happened to turn up, I got a bit mad about things. You'd have been the same yourself. There was I, with all that shell and pearls belonging to me, worth thousands, and I couldn't do a darn thing about it. It was like being locked up inside the blooming Bank of England. It would have made any one feel savage. It did me; and for a bit I guess I raised Cain. And then I had another idea. I built some big fires and made such a smoke that I knew anything passing within twenty miles of the place was bound to sight it. I did the thing properly. I turned on Falapa and the rest of the crowd, and made 'em keep those fires burning good and smoky. I told 'em off into regular watches, four hours on and four off, all ship-shape, and they kept my fires going fine, night and day. At first the beggars seemed to like it. Thought it was some sort of a game, I reckon. But after a bit it began to look too much like work to them, and they chucked it. So then I had to start right in and show the brutes who was boss. I'd made up my mind those fires had got to be kept alight, and I manhandled a lot of those niggers properly, trying to make

'em do it. But it wasn't any use. They'd struck, you might say. And they didn't even put up a decent scrap about it to make things interesting. Just knocked off and cleared out. But I showed 'em, at any rate, there was one man on the island willing and able to fight for what he wanted, and, I tell you, I surprised 'em. I gave them a proper lesson, and I guess they know enough now to respect a white man when they see one, especially if he's got red hair. It wasn't any good, though, for all I could could do to them. They wouldn't work, and knocking 'em about didn't seem to help at all, which was queer.

After a bit the beggars began to give me a wide berth, and I had to let my fires out, because I couldn't keep them going by myself, and even Falapa jibbed at stoking them. I caught a sort of cold about then, too, and didn't feel so good for a day or so. I must have got into a sweat, I suppose, after the scrapping I'd had to do, and I know I had a powerful thirst on me when it was all over. Anyhow, I put away quite a load of toddy that night. And that fool Falapa must have let me lie out on the beach all night instead of getting me under cover as usual. When I woke up I was shivering and coughing, and I had a real nasty head on me. And I reckon, maybe, I had a touch of fever. It knocked me out for a little

perhaps a day, or maybe

two or three days. I don't know. All I remember is Falapa and the women fussing about at first and bothering me, when all I wanted was to be left quiet. And then, when I came to, and felt better, blow me if there was one of the swine handy, not even to fetch me a drink of water. I wanted that drink bad, and I sung out for it. But nobody answeredat least nothing to amount to anything, for all I could hear was groans. So I got up. I was shaky on my pins still; but I got up and had a look round. And what do you think I found? Why, hang me, if the whole crowd weren't down with the fever too! Every blessed son of a gun in that hut-Falapa and all down and out, and all of 'em coughing and moaning away like a lot of sick cows. You never saw anything like it. I couldn't find any water in the hut either. Not a drop, nor even a green nut. The greedy beggars had got the lot, and there wasn't a thing left for me. It was a nuisance, because, weak as I was, I had to go and rustle for myself. I was glad to get out of that hut, though. Some of them were dead already, and Falapa and the rest were groaning and rolling their eyes and singing out for water as if there wasn't any one else in the place with a thirst. So I cleared out o' there and got a drink for myself, and then I had a look round.

outside the hut, that there was something mighty queer about the village. I didn't take much notice at first, because I was set on getting that drink, you understand. I needed it. But when I'd had it I felt a lot better, and then I saw at once it was no wonder things looked rum. For, stiffen me, if the whole blessed village wasn't down and out too! You won't hardly believe it, but there wasn't more than one or two of 'em left who could so much as crawl. It's a fact. It knocked me, and at first I was scared. You see, I didn't know what had struck them. I looked into one or two huts, and the beggars inside were all in about the same state as in Falapa's. When I looked in they'd see me, and start singing out. All of them that weren't dead, that is. They wanted water mostly. But what could I do? I couldn't nurse the whole damned village. And, besides, I wasn't sure then what sort of illness it was they'd got. It might have been only the fever they'd caught; but from the way it had laid 'em out, how was I to know it wasn't smallpox or cholera or something like that. So I cleared out of there, and for the next few weeks I lived by myself on the wind'ard beach, where no one ever went much at the best of times. And during the time the fever was running through the island I hardly ever saw a soul. had a thin time, I can tell you,

I

and trying to climb those flaming cocoa-nut trees. It was all I could do to keep myself alive, let alone any one else.

Well-anyhow, after a bit the sickness began to blow over, and the people started to get on their legs again. Those that had managed to managed to get get through it alive, that is, because half of the beggars had copped it for good and all. I should think about fifty men in our village had snuffed out, and the other village had caught it pretty nigh as bad. They'd had a doing all right; and you never saw such a crowd of bally wrecks as that bunch when the fever had done with 'em. They seemed to take a mighty long time getting over it too. Not like me, they weren't. For all their size and healthy looks, I guess they haven't the guts in 'em a white man has. It only took me about a few days before I was up and doing and as fit as be damned again; but most of those birds were crawling about like a lot of sick sheep for a week and more afterwards.

When I judged it was safe I went back to the village again, for you can understand I was fed up by then with roosting by myself on the beach. Falapa and most of his lot had pegged out, but one of the women and a couple of boys were still in the hut. They looked pretty sick still; but they were getting over it all right, and I judged they'd be able to look after me again, so I settled down and took charge.

And then I got a surprise. As soon as I walked in, that woman and the two kids legged it as if I'd been Old Nick himself. And I'll be shot if I could get 'em to come back again either! I couldn't understand it, and I was mad about it too. it too. You'd have been. I wanted some of them, I didn't care who, to rustle some grub, and cook and look after the place like they'd done for me before. But, hang me if I could get a single soul to as much as look at me. It's queer, but they all seemed scared to death of me; and all they'd do, when I got talking to 'em, was run away. It was rum, and I tried hard to find out what was up. But there was nothing doing, and none of 'em would come within yards of me. I couldn't find out what was up; and, to tell you the truth, I don't know yet.

And now, here's the queerest part of the whole business. What had come over them beats me; but that very night, after I'd given 'em up and turned in, I'll be shot if the swine didn't wait till I was asleep, and then the whole boiling set on me! I came to with about two dozen of 'em sitting on me, and the rest were holding on to my arms and legs. I made a fight for it, of course. I did what I could, and I bet I've left my mark on a good few of the beggars. But scrap as I would, it wasn't any use. There were too many of 'em, and it wasn't

long before they'd got me triced up so tight that I couldn't hardly wriggle a toe, let alone move hand or foot. The swine did the job properly, there's no doubt about that. They'd got me where they wanted me, and they weren't taking any chances of my getting myself loose. At first I hadn't a notion what it was they had in their minds to do with me; but when they lifted me up and carried me down to the beach, all triced up like some damned bag of copra, then I began to see a light. They dumped me into a canoe that was half-full of green cocoanuts, with a little square sail rigged up forward, and-well, then I knew what it was all about. It was my funeral they were busy on!

Now, if you'll tell me what made the beggars do that to me I'll thank you. I'd like to know. I've puzzled over it since, but I can't make it out at all. It beats me. If I'd been dying or sick, or broken my leg or something, I could understand it. But there I was, the strongest healthiest man in the whole island by a long way. And yet, there they were, treating me just as if I was dead. Yes, damn them. From the hurry From the hurry they were in to get shot of me you'd have thought I was dead already and stinkin'. Yes. The swine buried me! They shoved me off the beach and left me to drift off out to sea -to rot. They buried mebut I'm not dead yet. No.

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Not by a long shot. And when I get back there again they'll soon find that out, you believe me. I'll show them they can't play their heathen games on a white man that way. Let 'em wait awhile. I'm still aliveand kicking. As a matter of fact, I started to kick as soon as they shoved me off the beach. I was seized up good and tight, as I've told you; but, before it got light, I'd chewed through all the lashings I could get at, and so it wasn't long before I got loose. The canoe had run away off to loo'ard of the island, of course, by that time, and I couldn't see a sign of the land when it got light. And I couldn't have beat back to the place again against the wind, even if I'd wanted to, so I kept her going west and started to take stock of what I'd got aboard in the way of grub and gear. For a start, there was about forty green nuts; and that was all to the good, for there's both food and drink in them, and I thought they'd keep me going for a week or two if need be. And then they'd put in my fishing-gear and a pot or so, as was usual; so I figured out, if only I could keep afloat, I wouldn't do so bad after all, and with luck I might manage to get myself ashore again somewhere yet. So I kept the canoe sailing dead before the wind. I kept her at it night and day. It was all there was to do. And it may not sound much, talking about it now; but I want