I said: 'Who is it that thou callest
upon, my husband? Is it the white man's God?'

"'Aye,' he said, 'this Christ is He whom I have so long denied. He is
the Son of the God whose anger I fear to meet now that my soul goes out
into darkness.'

"'Fear not,' I said, weeping, 'I, Ninia, will make offerings to this
white God and His Son Christ, so that their anger may be softened
against thy spirit when it wanders in ghost-land.'

"So he groaned and was dead. And for six or more moons did I put
offerings to the white God upon thy father's grave as I had promised.
No offerings made I to our own gods, for he despised them even as he
despised his own. But yet do I think his _jelin_ (spirit) is at rest in
ghost-land; else had it come to me in the night and touched me on the
forehead as I slept."

III.

A month had gone by since the day that Sralik had driven away the
"Christ ship," as the people called the _Morning Star_, and then word
came over from Sralik to Ruvani, his granddaughter, to come over and
take her part in a night-dance and feast to the rain-god, for the year
had been a good one and the cocoanut trees were loaded with nuts. For
this was the dancing and feasting.

All that day the eight people of Takai were busied in making ready their
gifts of food for the feast which was to take place in two days' time.
In the afternoon, when the sun had lost its strength, the three girls
launched their canoe and set out for a place on the northern point
of Pingelap, where grew in great profusion the sweet-smelling _nudu_
flower. These would they get to make garlands and necklets to wear at
the great dance, in which they were all to take part.

In an hour or two they had gathered all the _nudu_ flowers they desired,
and then little Tarita looking up saw that the sky was overcast and
blackening, and presently some heavy drops of rain fell.

"Haste, haste," she cried to the others, "let us away ere the strong
wind which is behind the black clouds overtakes us on the lagoon."

Night comes on quickly in the South Seas, and by the time they had
seated themselves in the canoe it was dark. In a little while a sharp
rain-squall swept down from the northward, and they heard the wind
rattling and crashing through the branches, of the palms on Tugulu.

Ninia, who was steering, boldly headed the canoe across the lagoon for
Takai, and laughed when Ruvani and Tarita, who were wet and shivering
with the cold rain, urged that t