oiling the breeches, and then
passing them, with an ample supply of cartridges, into the eager hands
of Joe and Velo, by whom they were carried into the foc's'le, and given
to those others of the crew then on board. Each man received his
weapon in silence, and hid it under the mats of his bunk.

"When is it to be, Velo?" asked one of the divers.

"It may be to-night," replied the Samoan. "Be ye ready when the time
comes."

Returning to the trade room the empty case was nailed up again, and
another full one lifted on top of it. In the main cabin itself there
was a stand of twenty rifles with cutlasses, but these were not
disturbed for the time, as the absence of even one would most likely be
noticed by Rawlings' eye.

* * * * * *

After they had finished their bath the captain and Paul, carrying their
towels in their hands, strolled up to Barry's house. He had just lit
his lamp, and with a native sailor helping him was packing up his
traps, for this was his last night on shore.

"Ah! putting your house in order, Barry?" said Rawlings blandly.

"Yes, just straightening up a bit, and getting my gear ready to take it
on board," he replied.

"We must have a little bit of a celebration tonight, I think," resumed
Rawlings, "and let the men have a final fling too. They have worked
splendidly under your management; and our success is largely due to
you."

Barry nodded. "Yes, they've worked very well indeed. And I think we
might have a bit of a celebration, as you suggest. Let us say tomorrow
night. I'm a bit too tired to-night, and at daylight I'll start off
with Velo and shoot a couple of pigs for the men. They'll think a lot
of that."

"Quite so! A first-rate idea, Mr. Barry. They can have the whole day
and night to themselves." Then after a pause he began to discuss with
his officer the probabilities of the future--the return of the _Mahina_
and the establishment of a permanent pearling station on the lagoon.

Barry listened, now and then making a suggestion of his own, for which,
as usual, Rawlings thanked him effusively.

"And you think, Mr. Barry, that this lagoon can be fished for many
years?" he inquired.

"Certain. It would take us four or five years as we have been working,
without touching the deep-water patches. The bottom of this lagoon is
paved with shell. There are hundreds of thousands of pounds' worth of
shell in it yet, let alone the pearls."

Th