ll. In the first canoe were four men and two
young girls; in the others men only. Unconscious of the treacherous
intentions that filled the hearts of the white men, the unfortunate
people brought their canoes alongside, and, with smiling faces, called
out in English--

"Heave a rope, please."

"Aye, aye," responded a voice in English; and the natives, as the rope
was thrown to them, made fast the canoes and clambered up the sides, the
two girls alone remaining in the first canoe, and looking with lustrous,
wondering eyes at the crowd of strange faces that looked down at them
from the barque's decks.

Ten minutes before Martinas had ordered two sentries who stood guard,
one at the break of the poop and the other on top of the for'ard
deckhouse, to disappear; and so, when the natives gained the deck there
was nothing to alarm them. But at the heavy wooden gratings that
ran across the decks, just for'ard of the poop and abaft the for'ard
deckhouse, they gazed with eyes full of curiosity. As for the main
hatch, that was covered with a sail.

"Good morning, cap'en," said the leader of the natives, a tall, handsome
old man about fifty. "Where you come from?"

"From California," answered Martinas, making a sign to one of his
officers, who slipped away down to the main deck.

"What you come here for, sir?" resumed the native amiably; "you want
fowl, pig, turtle, eh?" And then, unfastening a small bag tied round his
naked waist, he advanced and emptied out a number of silver dollars.

"What is that for?" said Martinas, who spoke a little English.

The native laughed pleasantly.

"Money, sir." And then he looked round the ship's decks as if seeking
something. "Me want buy boat. Where all your boat, cap'en? Why boat no
here?" pointing to the davits and the pendant boat-falls.

"Sea break all boat," said the Peruvian quickly. And then, seeing the
look of disappointment on the man's face, he added, "But never mind. You
come below. I have handsome present for you."

"All right, cap'en," answered the old man with a pleased smile, as he
turned and beckoned to the other natives to follow him.

An exultant smile showed on the grim features of Senor Arguello as he
saw the captain's ruse. But just then the second mate came up.

"The girls won't come up on deck," he muttered in Spanish to the
captain. "They laugh, and shake their heads."

"Let them stay, Juan, until I get these fellows below quietly. Then let
one of the boa