ink the captain will punish you?"

"We shall see, Jem."

"But hadn't we better--I say, my lad," he whispered, "we could swim
ashore."

"And the shark?"

"Ugh! I forgot him. Well, take a boat, and get right away, for I've
been thinking, Mas' Don, it's a very horrid thing to have hit your
officer."

"But I didn't hit him. He hit me."

"But you were going to, Mas' Don," whispered Jem. "Strikes me the
time's come for running away."

Don shook his head.

"Why, you was red hot on it the other day, my lad."

"Yes, but I've been thinking a great deal about it since, Jem; and it
seems to me that it would be too cowardly to run now we are king's
sailors."

"But not if you were going to be punished for doing nothing."

"N-o, Jem," said Don hesitatingly.

"And for being hit as the captain hit you."

"N-no, Jem; but--but somehow--There, don't say any more about it now."

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.

BEFORE THE CAPTAIN.

Bosun Jones was right in his hint. The captain forgot all about Don's
offence as soon as he was comfortable and rested. He had struck out in
his hasty irritation, but his anger soon passed, and had the matter been
brought to his notice again, he would have laughed, and said that it was
the boy's nature to resent being struck, and that he would make the
better sailor.

The time passed pleasantly enough in the beautiful harbour, and every
day a boat went ashore with a surveying or exploring party, all of whom
were examined and cross-examined by their messmates on their return, as
to the habits of the New Zealand savages, and many a yarn was invented
about the Maoris' acts.

Both Don and Jem found their messmates rough, but good-tempered enough,
and the days glided by rapidly; but the opportunity was never given Don
for joining one of the exploring parties. In every case he was told he
was too much of a boy.

"Never mind, Mas' Don. You'll grow into a man some day," Jem used to
say.

The Maoris were quite friendly, and the very stringent rules made at
first were relaxed. The officers and men who went ashore were always
armed, and limits were placed to the number of savages allowed to visit
the ship; but the boarding netting was dispensed with, and it was not
deemed necessary to double the sentries.

More than once parties of men were allowed on shore, and upon these
occasions Don and Jem encountered the tattooed Englishman.

"Haven't made up your minds to come and join us?" he said,