not have known you yesterday if you hadn't looked
into my face and spoken. It's ten years since that day, Sarreo.'

"The wounded man looked up, searching-like, into Warby's face all the
time he was speaking; then his big black eyes drooped again, but he made
no answer. So then Warby went on again, talking to the lot of us.

"'I was supercargo on the _Manola_ brig, and Sarreo here was one of the
hands. One day, in Apia harbour, a bag of dollars was stolen out of my
cabin. The steward next morning said he had seen Sarreo ashore at one
of the dance houses spending money very freely. The captain and I burst
open his chest, and we found about twenty Mexican dollars among his
clothes. Now, in the bag which had been stolen there were nearly five
hundred Mexican dollars. Sarreo swore he had not stolen the money and
that all the money he had spent on shore was five dollars, which he had
brought with him from San Francisco. But the skipper and I believed he
was the thief, and to make him own up and tell us where the rest of the
dollars were, we flogged him. Then we put him in irons and kept him
in irons for a week. He still swore he had not taken the money, and I,
believing he was lying, gave him another thrashing on my own account.
That night he got overboard and swam ashore, and we gave the money up
for lost Well, about a week after this, when the steward was ashore, the
mate and I decided to make a thorough search of _his_ cabin. We found
nothing there, but we did in the pantry--we found the missing bag of
dollars, all but the twenty which he had put into Sarreo's chest--stowed
away in the bottom of half a barrel of flour."

"As soon as Sarreo heard this, the poor fellow almost began to cry, and
said, 'I told you, Mr. Warby, I no steal that money.'

"'No, Sarreo, I know you didn't--that is, I knew it when the steward
owned up to stealing it; and told us afterward that he took twenty
dollars out of the bag, and, seeing your chest lying open in the
deck-house, he slipped in when no one was about and put the money among
the clothes at the bottom.'

"Sarreo sighed, pleased-like, and then his brown face lit up.

"The big supercargo came a bit nearer to him, and then held out his
hand.

"'Look here, Sarreo! The day before yesterday I was wrong, but you got
my blood up; and I am sorry, very sorry, for the wrong I did you on
board the _Manola_; but so help me God, Sarreo, I _did not_ fire at
you.'

"Sarreo's eyes seemed to lo