besides, she hath the child."

For nearly half an hour the canoes paddled out swiftly, but noiselessly,
the men calling out loudly at brief intervals, and every now and then
Brandon himself would call.

"Mahia! Mahia! Call to us so that we may find thee!"

But no answer came back over the dark waters. At last the four canoes
approached each other, and the natives and Brandon had a hurried
consultation.

"Paranta," said the steersman of the nearest canoe, "let us to the ship.
It may be that she is there."

The man who sat next to the speaker muttered in low tones, "How can that
be, Kariri? Either the child hath wearied her arm and she hath sunk,
or--the sharks."

Plunging his paddle deeply into the water, Brandon, brought the head
of the canoe round for the ship, the faint outlines of whose canvas was
just showing ghostly white half a mile away through the thin morning
haze which mantled the still unruffled surface of the ocean.

Urged swiftly along by the six men who paddled, the white man's canoe
was soon within hailing distance of the brigantine, and at the same
moment the first puff of the coming breeze stirred and then quickly
lifted the misty veil which encompassed her.

"Ship ahoy!" hailed Brandon. "Did a woman and child swim off to you
during the night?"

Almost ere the answering "No" was given, there was a loud cry from one
of the other canoes which had approached the vessel on the other side,
and the "No" from the brigantine was changed into--

"Yes, she's here; close to on the port side. Look sharp, she's sinking,"
and then came the sound of tackle as the crew lowered a boat that hung
on the ship's quarter.

With a low, excited cry the crew of Brandon's canoe struck their bright
red paddles into the water with lightning strokes, and the little craft
swept swiftly round the stern of the brigantine before the just lowered
boat had way on her.

There, scarce a hundred yards away, they saw Mahia swimming slowly
and painfully along towards the ship, to the man whom she thought had
deserted her. With one arm she supported the tiny figure of the child,
and Brandon, with a wild fear in his heart, saw that she was too
exhausted to hold it many seconds longer.

"Quick! Quick, man, for the love of God!" came in loud, hoarse tones
from the captain of the brigantine, who stood on the rail holding to
the main rigging, and drawing a pistol from his belt he sent its bullet
within a few feet of the feeble swim