dancing with pleasure; "Toea and I mean to sleep ashore to-night with
the Tebuan people, and come on board early in the morning. And I have
some presents for little Pani."

An hour before sunset the two boats and a fleet of canoes returned from
Tebuan with the pearl shell collected by Mrs. Tracey. It was hoisted
aboard in baskets of coconut leaf and stowed in the main hold, and then
the day's work, as far as the crew were concerned, was over.

Before supper, Barradas, Mrs. Tracey, and Barry sat together in the
main cabin and examined the pearls--those which she had herself brought
on board and those taken from Rawlings' cabin. Then it was that Barry
showed Mrs. Tracey the seven largest pearls yet obtained.

"I kept these, Mrs. Tracey, to give to you personally," he said simply;
"I did not want Rawlings or the Greek to touch them. I wanted to give
them to you unsullied by the touch of their hands."

"How kind you are!" she murmured softly as, bending her head, she moved
the beautiful gems to and fro under her hands upon the scarlet
tablecloth, then raising her dark hazel eyes to Barry she dropped them
suddenly with a blush, for both men were regarding her with undisguised
admiration.

After supper she and Toea were taken on shore, and at once went to
Velo's house (which was that formerly occupied by Barry). The Samoan
and his wife received them with delight, and in a few minutes the house
was filled with native women and girls who came to see the box of
presents brought for Pani. Then, surrounded by the women, Mrs. Tracey
went away to sleep for the last time in the house occupied by old Roku
and Gurden's connections--the people who had been so kind to her during
those first long, weary months on Tebuan.

At six o'clock in the morning Barry came ashore in the whaleboat,
followed by the dinghy, which was to convey the prisoners on board.
They were at once handed over by their native guards to Joe and his
boat's crew, who assisted them down to the dinghy, and then pulled off
to the ship.

Barradas received them at the gangway, and, taking no heed of the
murderous looks and savage curses of the Greek, saw that they were
placed in the deck-house and a sentry put over them. Their leg-irons,
he told them, Barry intended to remove once the brig was clear of the
land. Rawlings made no reply, but the Greek broke out afresh with a
torrent of curses, and suddenly raising his manacled hands he brought
them down upon t