e had in view.

The tide was falling fast, and the connecting reef between the islands
was dry, so that Barry and his two companions had no trouble in
crossing from one to the other, carefully avoiding the islet on which
Warner's natives were living. For nearly three hours they marched on
in silence--sometimes along the hard, white sand of the inner lagoon
beaches, sometimes by narrow paths running parallel with the outer
iron-bound coast, where the slow, sweeping billows curled themselves,
to break with a sound like muffled thunder upon the black wall of reef
fringing the silent shore. At midnight they reached a little island of
not more than a mile in length and half a mile in width. In the clear
starlight night they saw the figures of six persons coming towards them
on the beach.

Barry struck a match, held it aloft for an instant, and then called
out--

"Are you there, Mrs. Tracey?"

"I am here, Mr. Barry," and followed by three stalwart men and the two
young women who had formerly accompanied her at their first meeting,
Mrs. Tracey, although still slightly lame, ran to him and shook his
hand warmly.

"We started immediately we saw your fire," she said, "but came across
the lagoon in canoes, instead of walking. Now come with me. There are
several empty houses here, just over the brow of the beach, and in one
of them there is a midnight supper for us all--crayfish, baked fish,
pork, and chickens, and young coconuts to drink."

The two native women leading the way, the whole party soon gained the
houses, which stood in a thick grove of giant jack-fruit trees. A
bright fire was blazing out in the open, and spread out on the matted
floor of the best of the houses was the midnight supper.

"We are quite safe here," said Mrs. Tracey as she bade Barry be seated;
"this fire cannot be seen from the ship, can it?"

"No," answered the mate; "and I took care to let Rawlings know that I
would let some of the men come down as far as the middle island to hunt
and fish, so even if he does see the fire he will conclude it has been
lit by them. Now tell me, are you well?"

"Well, indeed. And happier, far happier, than I have been for long,
long months. I was overjoyed to see your signal, and to know that all
was going well, and that I should see you to-night. Now let me bring
my native friends to shake hands with you; the two girls, Pani and
Toea, you have seen before; the men are my bodyguard."

"And a fine bo