By Rock and Pool on an Austral Shore, and Other Stories

e village on the shores of Port Lele, and on board two ships whi

rs of the awakened trade wind and the yellow shafts of sunrise, a fleet or canoes crowded with natives put off from the sandy beach in front of the

stepped briskly up on the poop, and hailed the skipper of the other

eady, Capt

nly waiting for the military,"

f fifty, replied by an angry snarl, then turned to

en start to heave-up and loose sails. I reckon we'll tow out in an ho

was just moving on to the mai

th, over this business. Naow, as I told you yesterday, I

eyes blazed

nd mean to stick to it. I shipped for a whaling voyage, and not to help savages t

ted his fe

in' two or three thousan' dollars so easy. An' y

aised h

ill I take in such bloody work as you and the skipper of that crowd of Sydney

think we was going piratin', instead of helping the k

mate inter

d will obey all your orders as far as the wo

s, set a course along the coast which before sunset would bring them to Leassé, on the lee side of the island. But presently, in response to a signal from the Lucy May , the whaler lay to; a boat put off from the smaller ship, and

em in his boats during the night, and stood off and on till daylight, when they returned reeking from their work of slaughter upon the sleeping people, and bringing with them some scores of women and children as captives. For this service the king had given Cayse half a ton of turtle-shell, and the services of ten young men as seamen for as long a time as the Iroquoi

is son

laugh. They shall be destr

ouched his

ut he is a greedy man. Yet spare nothing; give him all the silver and gold money I have stored by for his return, and

put into huge butts, which stood in the king's boat-sheds, and the costly turtle-shell was taken by the young ruler and locked up in the seamen's chests which lined the inside wall of the great council-house. And no man durst now fire a musket at a wild pig, for powder and ball had been m

n to the king's house, and sinking upon their knees in the courtyard of coral slabs, whispered their news to one of the king's serving-

e month in which he said he would return. Let the women make ready a great feast, and launch my thr

rom their walled-in prison holes on the reef, hogs were strangled, and the king's wives went hither and thither among his slave women, bidding them hasten to kindle

e and excitement around him in the courtyard, when his eye fell on the three mess

bade her bring him three of his best pearl-shell bonito hooks. The

said. "There is thy reward.

cious gift, and with crouching forms crept slowly over to the further

woman-his sister Sè-retur

ered; "but it is not the ship of Késa. It is but a sm

said the young savage f

grey-headed old Kanka, who in response to an inquiri

one that never before

erely raised his arm and pointed h

ied to me. Bring

d silence fell. One by one the messengers knelt upon the coral flags-no need for them to ask for mercy from Charlik, the savage son of a bloodstained father. The bearer of the club held the weapon knob downward, and watched the king's face for the signal of death. He

first from a single throat, and then echoed and ree

! Another ship!

and, almost within hail, and just rounding the northern horn of the reef was a larger vessel, one glance at which told Charlik that it was the American whaler for which he had so long waited. In less than an hour they were at anchor abreast of the kin

cy May , of Sydney, from the New Heb

Cayse, ship Iroquois , boun

ft as Charlik, with a face beaming with smiles, came up to Cayse with outstretched hand, and greeted him warmly in

here to get wood, w

you want. Have you muske

spare y

plenty. Now come to my house and

for some firearms which he was giving the king in exchange for several boatloads of provisions. When he returned, with two

I reckon you an' me together can do what he wants done. But jest come along w

eeded, he desired Ross to look in through the doorway. A small fire of coconut shells was burning in the centre of the room, and by its light Ross saw several women crouched round the bodies of three men, performing

l sorter startled, mister, when I tell you that you

are you driving at? What the

ve in sight first, an' these three fellows who were standin' mast-head watch up thar on the mountain, came tearin' down an' reported that it was my old hooker. Cha

s suspended from the beams overhead, revealed the figures of a score of armed natives, seated with their backs to the canework walls of t

d seated themselves facing the young man. His eye lit up at the sight of the arms, and then he desired Ross to

capèn. Y

nto the subj

ou want to earn thr

't m

le and turtle-shell. Now, if you and I will help him to do a bit of fightin' it's ours. The money and shell is here in this room,

oment, then he s

u giving me

n't able to do the whole business myself-if I could I wouldn't ask you to come in. Now, I noticed this mornin'

a few nine-pounders as well as plenty of small arms. We

ago. They've had a good many fights, an' in the last one these Lele people got badly whipped. Charlik is the proper king, but ever since a white man named Ledyard went to live with the Leassé people, they've refus

hief nodded

uilt. It will take him two or three weeks to go there and back, and now is the time for Charlik to wipe out old scores-the Leassé peop

ting others to slaughter for the sake of his own gain, yet had some grains of compunction

ry living soul on one of the Cartaret's Islands. I'll tell you the yarn some day. But look here, king, can't we make another deal about

you want

he king of the Pelews. I've d

d the two spoke in low tones. Then t

to live-the white man's wife.

mps and opened, the bags containing the money lifted out, the

and before dawn, on the fourth day, Ross and his fellow-ruffian sent word ashore to the king that all was