group, where the crew had
been cutting sandal-wood, which in those days was very plentiful there.
Her captain, who was a very skilful navigator, instead of going through
Torres Straits, had sailed between New Ireland and New Britain, so that
he might learn the truth of some tales he had heard about the richness
of those islands in sandal-wood and pearl shell. So he had cruised
slowly along till he sighted Mano Island, and here he decided to water
the ship; for from the deck was visible a fine stream of water, running
from the forest-clad mountains down to the white sands of the quiet
beach.

As soon as possible a boat was lowered and manned and armed; for
although he could not see a native anywhere on the beach, nor any signs
of human occupation elsewhere on the island, the captain was a very
cautious man. A little further back from the beach was a very dense
grove of coco-nut trees laden with fruit, and at these the crew of the
Boadicea looked with longing eyes.

'We must water the ship first, my lads,' said Captain Williams, 'and
then we'll spend the rest of the day among the coco-nut trees, and fill
our boats with them.'

Just then as the bronze-faced captain was ascending to the poop from his
cabin; a small barefooted boy came aft, and, touching his hat, said,--

'Av ye plaze, sor, won't ye let me go in the boat, sor?'

'Why, Maurice, my boy, there's quite enough of us going in her as it
is,' said the captain, kindly, for the dirty-faced but bright-eyed
Maurice Kinane was a favourite with everyone on board.

'Ah, but shure, sor,' pleaded the boy, 'av yer honour would just let me
go, av it was only to pluck a blade av the foine green grass, and lave
me face in the swate clane wather I'll be beholden--'

'Well, well, my lad, jump in then,' said Captain Williams, with a smile,
and buckling his cutlass belt around his waist he sent the lad down the
ladder before him and the boat pushed off.

* * * * *

Ten months before, this poor Irish lad, who was but thirteen years of
age, had lost both his parents through the upsetting of a boat in Sydney
Harbour. His father was a sergeant in the 77th Regiment, and had only
arrived in the colony a few months previous to the accident, and the
boy was left without a relative in the world. But the captain of his
father's company and the other officers of the regiment were very kind
to him, and the colonel said he would get him enlisted as a dru