a fortune in a comparatively easy manner, and it
looked for a time as if the payment was small; but the price demanded
now was his life, and what more can a man give, excepting his
soul?--which, most happily, was not the case with him.

During these minutes of excitement, Inez Hawthorne slept soundly, and
she never knew anything of the sad occurrence until the morrow was
well advanced. Her grief prostrated her for many hours, for she was a
child unusually affectionate by nature, and she had been tenderly
attached to the captain, who had been such a father to her.

It spread a gloom over the boat, as may be said, the only ones who
showed no sorrow in their countenances being the dusky islanders, who
seemed to take everything as it came along as a matter of course, and
who obeyed the Caucasian captain like so many machines under the
control of an engineer.

Fred Sanders was thoughtful, and, what was rather curious, had little
to say to Inez during the first portion of the day. He uttered a few
words of sympathy when she sought to restrain her tears, but after
that he kept very much to himself, as if there was some new and
important matter on his mind, as was indeed the case.

It will be remembered that the expectation was that the voyage of the
proa would terminate that night by their arrival at their destination,
but the delay caused by the moderate wind and the search for the lost
captain led Mate Storms to feel some doubt, and he asked Captain
Sanders his view of the matter.

"I can't tell you anything about it!"

It was not these words alone, so much as the abrupt manner, which set
the mate somewhat back. He had received nothing of the kind from the
youth since their meeting, and it astonished him.

A hot reply rose to the lips of Abe Storms, but he suppressed it and
moved away.

"I wonder whether he doesn't feel soured at the thought that the death
of the captain will prevent his getting such a large reward for his
services?" said the mate to himself, who, after thinking over the
matter for a few minutes longer, reached a conclusion. "We expected to
reach Wauparmur Island to-night, before dark. We shall be late, but,
as it is, I shall have no trouble in keeping awake the rest of the
voyage, and I've little fear that I will not be able to protect my
property as well as myself."

With this, he moved back to the youth, and said, in a cheery voice:

"You recall, sir, that poor Captain Bergen made some promis