Part 9 (1/2)

”Now,” he said triuot the lock and bolts to work to his satisfaction, ”we can stand a siege if needed, for as the shi+p is iron built they can't even burn us out and that teak door would take so Also we can shore it up”

”How about so to eat? I want my tea,” said Bastin

”Then, my reverend friend,” replied Bickley, ”take a couple of the fire buckets and fetch some water from the stream Also collect driftwood of which there is plenty about, clean those fish and grill them over the saloon stove”

”I'll try,” said Bastin, ”but I never did any cooking before”

”No,” replied Bickley, ”on second thoughts I will see to that et the fish ready”

So, with due precautions, Bastin and I fetched water froe of the cliff quite close at hand into a beautiful coral basin that ned for a bath of the nymphs Indeed one at a tied into it, and never was a tubdays of tempest Then we returned to find that Bickley had already set the table and was engaged in frying the fish very skilfully on the saloon stove, which proved to be well adapted to the purpose He was cross, however, when he found that we had bathed and that it was now too late for hi himself as well as he could in his cabin basin and Bastin was boiling water for tea, suddenly I re that it ht now be opened as we had certainly parted with most of the Star of the South for the last time, I read it It was as follows:

”The reason, honoured Sir, that I aht I tore up the paper, 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 coet 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 cursedto run away, of which I am very much ashairl whom I want to marry, and my mother I support You will be safe and I hope you will not think too badly ofto know the future Never try to learn that”

I gave this letter to Bastin and Bickley to read and asked theht 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 kno 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 hiain,” 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 sharilled fish, which was excellent, and some tinned meat I say to our sha 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 overwhelrief for those e are not intimate We were very sorry and that is all that can be said, except that Bastin, being High Church, announced in a matter-of-fact way that he meant to put up some petitions for the welfare of their souls To this Bickley retorted that from what he had seen of their bodies he was sure they needed them

Yes, it was a pleasant supper, not ne which Bickley and I shared Bastin stuck to his tea, not because he did not like cha now come in contact with the heathen it would never do for him to set them an example in the use of spirituous liquors

”However much we may differ, Bastin, I respect you for that sentiment,”

commented Bickley

”I don't knohy you should,” answered Bastin; ”but if so, you s, trusting to our teak door which we barricaded, and to Toainst surprise At any rate we took the risk As a h before dawn Toood deal, for I heard hiet up In theI found fro about the shi+p, though at a little distance

We rose early, and taking the necessary precautions, bathed in the pool

Then we breakfasted, and having filled every available receptacle ater, which took us a long tie tank that supplied the bath, so that we e, ent on deck and debated e should do In the end we determined to stop where ere and await events, because, as I pointed out, it was necessary that we should discover whether these natives were hostile or friendly In the former event we could hold our own on the shi+p, whereas away from it we must be overwhelmed; in the latter there was always time to move inland

About ten o'clock ere seated on stools s to the overhanging cliff in which it will be remembered the prow of the shi+p was buried, we could not be reached by missiles thrown fro upon us along the beach on either side They were preceded as before by women who bore food on platters and in baskets These people, all talking excitedly and laughing after their fashi+on, stopped at a distance, so we took no notice of theain acco down the path on the cliff face, and, standing below, made salutations and entered into a conversation with us of which I give the substance--that is, so far as we could understand it