r, the spirit controlling the planchette wrote
these words: 'After leaving Samoa the Star of the South will be wrecked
in a hurricane and everybody on board drowned except A. B. and B. Get
out of her! Get out of her! Don't be a fool, Jacob, unless you want to
come over here at once. Take our advice and get out of her and you will
live to be old.--SKOLL."

"Sir, I am not a coward but I know that this will happen, for that
spirit which signs itself Skoll never tells a lie. I did try to give
the captain a hint to stop at Apia, but he had been drinking and openly
cursed me and called me a sneaking cheat. So I am going to run away,
of which I am very much ashamed. But I do not wish to be drowned yet as
there is a girl whom I want to marry, and my mother I support. You will
be safe and I hope you will not think too badly of me.--JACOB JACOBSEN.

"P.S.--It is an awful thing to know the future. Never try to learn
that."

I gave this letter to Bastin and Bickley to read and asked them what
they thought of it.

"Coincidence," said Bickley. "The man is a weak-minded idiot and heard
in Samoa that they expected a hurricane."

"I think," chimed in Bastin, "that the devil knows how to look after his
own at any rate for a little while. I dare say it would have been much
better for him to be drowned."

"At least he is a deserter and failed in his duty. I never wish to hear
of him again," I said.

As a matter of fact I never have. But the incident remains quite
unexplained either by Bickley or Bastin.

Chapter VII. The Orofenans

To our shame we had a very pleasant supper that night off the grilled
fish, which was excellent, and some tinned meat. I say to our shame, in
a sense, for on our companions the sharks were supping and by rights we
should have been sunk in woe. I suppose that the sense of our own escape
intoxicated us. Also, notwithstanding his joviality, none of us had
cared much for the captain, and his policy had been to keep us somewhat
apart from the crew, of whom therefore we knew but little. It is true
that Bastin held services on Sundays, for such as would attend, and
Bickley had doctored a few of them for minor ailments, but there, except
for a little casual conversation, our intercourse began and ended.

Now the sad fact is that it is hard to be overwhelmed with grief for
those with whom we are not intimate. We were very sorry and that is all
that can be said, except that Bastin, being High Church,