Edward Barry / South Sea Pearler

ith a heart as light as that of a boy, and walking into the par

n time for a yarn and smoke before I le

iced mate, taking it from his pocket. "

once carried downstairs. Fortunately he owed the landlord nothing, and though he had but three shillings in

told his friends that as he must be on board his new ship by midnight, and then had to wr

him. "Got all you want, sonny

tell you my yarn before I write that letter. I

on in his deep voice,

, chief officer on the Maid of Judah. There were a lot of passengers. One

of the d

mother-who was a silly, brainless sort of a woman, and thought him a perfect gentleman-I knew him to be a beast. Between the two of them they

he way women-married women travellin' alone especially-takes t

r leave-told him I was going ashore to see the Maynards. He said something foul about the girl, and so I dropped it

e the gal wouldn't recognise you again. Do

f Judah wouldn't have anything to do with me after spoiling the beauty of their curly-headed pet skipper, and so I was stranded for a bit. But I soon got a berth as mate on a brig

atson, puffing sol

t I tell you that I used to write

I'm an old fool. But

for another ship, you know-but couldn't get one. Had to pawn all my gear to keep myself going. Didn't care to go and see her-you know, under the circs-afraid of the old woman, who I didn't know was dead. So I booted it around trying to get a ship. And now comes the curious part of my yarn; I had hardly got a ship, when I-ju

nee. "I'll have a drink with you with pleasure, but I'll pay for them. I don'

mate his story in detail, and confess

ntleman. I hope the gir

ne--" beg

o ends and bight of a good wife. Now, look here. I've a hundred or two in the Bank of Australasia here, a

d the old sa

is the address, I'm writing to her to-night, as soon as I get aboard, and I'll let her know you are coming. I had no time to tell her a heap of things-all about our being cast away on the Pa

ung man's hand warm

ff from her side and pulled in. The wind by this time had already decreased in violence, but

wrapped up in a heavy coat, and who bade Barry a gruff "good evening," she was quickly slewed round, and in a few minu

new officer; "come below with me, please. Mr. Barradas, hoist in the boa

lighted. A native steward was in attendance; at a sign from Rawlings he b

arry. Let us drink s

ll smiling in a pleasant manner, said, "That is your cabin there, Mr. Barry; the steward will put your things in. And now you'll be surprised

night to take his departure, and disappointment at his thus being prevented from writing to Rose Maynard and sending his le

questioned, Mr. Barry," he sai

ely disappointed at being unable to write

smile was back

n a quarter of a

I can scribble a few lines at once if you w

put him ashore in the dinghy as soon as we begin to heave up. Be as quic

s putting to sea at that moment, and that he would write her fully at the first a

p in his cabin, and I said I would not disturb

anding him the letter. "Sh

," answered Ra

he letter, read it, smiled contemptuously, and close

man who with two others was standing

s,

is pocket. Take him well up into the middle of th

e boat, whilst the other two lifted out the inanimate figure of the Custom House officer, carried him up the wharf, and laid him down under the shelter of a housed-in donkey-engine.

nt. A gust of wind canted her head away from the shores of the little bay, and in a few seconds her anchor was a-tri

ings came for'ard and stood beside his

't run foul of anything coming up the harbour. Leave a couple of these

eads, and then Rawlings told Barry to make more

e the topgallant sails, and half a dozen me

light. Come with me, Mr. Barry, and," he added, "bring one

skipper to the deck-house, the after part of whic

as he took a key from his pocket, and opened the door

harf in the afternoon came out. The tallest of them, with a su

length upon the deck and lay there motionless. Rawlings looked at him with calm unconcern. "Take him for'ard," he said in drawling tones to the

e skylight smoking his pipe, and thinking of the unnecessary violence o

bout turning in?"

leepy; in fact, I'll be g

p and down the deck, and then stopped again. "Wh

s seem v

k I can give her the royals now-the wind is taking off, and sea going d

e mate of the

y no

aps here-most of them, anyway-are kanakas. Good sailor men too. Better than those -- swabs we had

ry to run a

't give 'em the chance. We

dozen of your men had

n. They were six of our best men, too-Penrhyn Islanders," and then he quickly moved away, and thru

came on deck, and

hed his last a few minutes ago

te is dead,

"I'm sorry to hear that, sir. A

re, in fact pleaded so hard with me, that I could not resist his wis

as his

e cause of his death. Two days ago he shot himself in a fit of depression. I had two doctors off at once to see him, but they

nt below with the captain, who, taking off his cap, opened the door o

even in death and appeared to Barry to have been about thirty years of age. Round the forehead and upper part of the head was a bandage. This Rawlings lifted

d the ship. I have had a very great deal of trouble, trouble that my officers have shared with me. But I must tell you the story in detail, painful as it is for me to relate it; inde

alian lady, to whom he was deeply attached. He was anxious to pay for her accommodation during the cruise

fter leaving Honolulu we cruised among the eastward islands and did well-so well that we nearly filled the ship. Then we stood away for the Carolines, and on

y terrible end-she was lost overboa

at he had to say, and in a few minutes he had satisfied Tracey and myself that he knew of the existence of one of the richest pearling grounds in the Pacific; and provided he could find partners who would deal squarely with him, he would disclose the exact locality. His poverty had prevented him from buying a vessel and returning to the island, which was only a week's sail from Lêle; but as

ls, all of which were certainly splendid specimens. Placing them o

r in the Paumotus when I was in the Tawera," said Barry,

nd divers, and provide all working expenses, boats, and the necessary gear, and to receive one-half of all the s

d us that he did not believe he would live through the night. We tried to cheer him up, but he only shook his head, and requested us to commit to paper the exact bearings of the patches of the pearl-shell beds on the lagoon he was doomed never to see again. This was done, and he

as steering to lend a hand at some job on the main deck. Just then, poor Alice Tracey came up from below, walked aft, and stood at the stern with her hand on the rail, looking at the brig's boiling wake; this was a frequent habit of hers. Neither of us took any further notice of her after she had remarked that the cabi

till daylight-all without avail. We were then about five miles west of Pleasant Island, and Tracey had a wild hope that his wife, who was a splendid swimmer, might have kept herself afloat and succeeded in reaching the land, which is densely populated. To pleas

but picked up others in their places-just the sort of men I wanted for divers and boat work. At Levuka I shipped six Penrhyn Islanders-the best divers in the Pacific-but the other fellows contaminated them, and they too bolted from me in Sydney. Poor Tracey took all our misfortunes very much to heart, for, in a

aid Barry, with

hen he became conscious-which was early on the following day-and was told that he had no chance of life, he took it very quietly, but begged me to let him remain on the ship and not send him ashore. He had an absolute horror of dying in an hospital, h

ded. "Har

e. To get men at the Government shipping office meant a delay of perhaps three or four days, to obtain a suitable man as mate might have meant a week. During this time poor Tracey's death would have still further complicated matters and hindered the Mahina from putting to sea. I had picked up those

ered Barry, who now fel

le, "that I am not much of a navigator, and as Barradas

ainly

ing and pearling operations, and showed Barry a large scale chart of Arrecifos Lagoon in

the crew ranged upon the deck, and the body of her former chief officer w