quite an artist," he said as he went into his
state-room. "Keep the lager as cool as you can. Put half a dozen
bottles and some hock on the poop with some wet towels round them.
We'll be up late to-night."

"Yes, sir," answered the man, and as he turned away a grim smile for a
second flitted across his swarthy features.

Eight bells struck, and as Rawlings, Barradas, and the Greek took their
seats, Barry came out of his own cabin and sat at the for'ard end of
the table. Rawlings was opposite to him, and the Greek and Barradas
also faced each other, Warner being on the same side as the Greek.

As the steward brought in the turtle soup there came the strains of a
wheezy accordion from the main deck, and then three or four voices
joined in a native chorus, broken now and then by a laugh, and the
sound of naked feet stamping time to the music.

"Hallo," observed the Greek with his usual grin. "Billy Onotoa and the
other fella on boarda are hava a bita singa-songa and danca too."

"Let them enjoy themselves to-night," said Rawlings pleasantly. "And,
steward, send them up a couple of bottles of grog. When the rest of
them come aboard they shall have half a dozen between them. It won't
hurt them once in a while."

The grog seemed to have a rapidly stimulating effect on the men on
deck, for the "harmony" began with renewed vigour; and amid it all, as
Billy Onotoa and four others of his shipmates thumped their feet, and
slapped their bare chests and chanted their song louder than before,
the two boats from the shore came silently alongside, filled with two
score of naked figures and the remainder of the brig's native crew, Joe
and one of his mates with them.

Velo took a quick glance along the deck. None of the Solomon Islanders
were visible, they all having taken up their quarters in the main-hold
on top of the cases of pearl shell, where they had spread their rough
mats of coconut leaf. Two of the hatches were off, and Veto looking
down at the savages saw that they were sitting or lying about smoking
or chewing their inevitable betel-nut.

"Stand by to clap on the hatches," he said quietly to Sam Button.

The white sailor obeyed him promptly, for Barry had told him to take
his orders from the Samoan; so he and three native seamen took up their
places, two on each side of the hatch coamings. Then Velo stepped to
the port side and called to Joe in a whisper--

"It's all right, Joe. You can all come aboard