Some day there would
come a moment when Kai Shang, Momulla, and three or four of the others
would be absent from camp, exploring or hunting. The Swede racked his
brain for some plan whereby he might successfully lure from the sight
of the anchored ship those whom he had determined to abandon.

To this end he organized hunting party after hunting party, but always
the devil of perversity seemed to enter the soul of Kai Shang, so that
wily celestial would never hunt except in the company of Gust himself.

One day Kai Shang spoke secretly with Momulla the Maori, pouring into
the brown ear of his companion the suspicions which he harboured
concerning the Swede. Momulla was for going immediately and running a
long knife through the heart of the traitor.

It is true that Kai Shang had no other evidence than the natural
cunning of his own knavish soul--but he imagined in the intentions of
Gust what he himself would have been glad to accomplish had the means
lain at hand.

But he dared not let Momulla slay the Swede, upon whom they depended to
guide them to their destination. They decided, however, that it would
do no harm to attempt to frighten Gust into acceding to their demands,
and with this purpose in mind the Maori sought out the self-constituted
commander of the party.

When he broached the subject of immediate departure Gust again raised
his former objection--that the warship might very probably be
patrolling the sea directly in their southern path, waiting for them to
make the attempt to reach other waters.

Momulla scoffed at the fears of his fellow, pointing out that as no one
aboard any warship knew of their mutiny there could be no reason why
they should be suspected.

"Ah!" exclaimed Gust, "there is where you are wrong. There is where
you are lucky that you have an educated man like me to tell you what to
do. You are an ignorant savage, Momulla, and so you know nothing of
wireless."

The Maori leaped to his feet and laid his hand upon the hilt of his
knife.

"I am no savage," he shouted.

"I was only joking," the Swede hastened to explain. "We are old
friends, Momulla; we cannot afford to quarrel, at least not while old
Kai Shang is plotting to steal all the pearls from us. If he could
find a man to navigate the Cowrie he would leave us in a minute. All
his talk about getting away from here is just because he has some
scheme in his head to get rid of us."

"But the wireless," asked Momull