ir guns. In half an hour the great
canoe with the chiefs came off, and as it approached the ship Mr.
Atherton told Wilfrid to go forward, and tell the five men there to come
aft and be in readiness to mount to the poop the moment they saw any
sign of trouble. "If there is a row," he said, "we have to hold the
poop. There are only the two ladders to defend, and we can do that; but
it would be useless to try to hold the whole of the ship."

As the captain left the poop and went down into the waist to receive the
chiefs, Mr. Atherton went up to where Mrs. Renshaw was sitting.

"Will you take my advice, Mrs. Renshaw?"

"Certainly I will," she said, smiling; "for I am sure it will be good,
whatever it is."

"Then, Mrs. Renshaw, I advise you at once to go below with your daughter
and the Miss Mitfords. I do not say that we are going to have trouble,
but if we are this is the time. Pray oblige me by doing as I ask."

Mrs. Renshaw at once rose, called Marion and the other two girls, who
were gaily chatting with a group of the passengers, and asked them to go
below with her. Wilfrid and the two Allens were now on the poop, as Mr.
Atherton had told them that they had better remain there instead of
placing themselves at other points. The Grimstones and the three other
passengers forward were gathered near the ladders.

As usual the chiefs accompanied the captain on to the poop, followed by
half a dozen of the minor chiefs; and Mr. Atherton noticed that several
of the others, instead of sitting quietly in the canoe, slipped up after
them on to the deck. The flotilla of small canoes, which had as usual
put out in the train of the large one, was edging in towards the vessel.
Mr. Atherton leant over the poop rail and spoke to the second officer,
who was engaged in the waist with the men.

"Mr. Rawlins, I do not quite like the look of things. I think that it
would be as well if you were to gather as many of the hands as you can
at the foot of the ladder here, without, of course, alarming the
natives, as it may be only my fancy."

The second-mate nodded, and at once told the men with him to knock off
from their work. "Get hold of your cutlasses quietly," he said, "and
gather near the foot of the starboard port ladder." Then going to the
gangway he stopped a native who was just climbing up from the canoe, and
motioned to them that no more were to come on board.

The talk with the chiefs was a short one. The stewards brought up t