he hither side of which, and close
under it, a native warrior was crouching, and occasionally raising his
hand, as though endeavouring to attract the attention of the white men,
who, from the position which he occupied, were in full view of him.

"Where is he?" demanded Sir Reginald, searching with his glasses. "Oh,
_I_ see him. Yes; he certainly seems to be signalling to us. Do you
see him, Professor?"

"Yes," answered von Schalckenberg, "I see him. Shall I beckon him to
come to us?"

"By all means," answered Sir Reginald. "I will get out the rope ladder,
and we will have him up here on deck."

And he went off to get up a light rope ladder intended for use upon
occasions when it was deemed politic to conceal the fact that a means of
ingress to the ship existed by way of the trap-door leading out of the
diving-chamber; while von Schalckenberg advanced to the guard-rail by
the gangway, and raising his hands above his head, proceeded to make
certain mysterious signals to the crouching savage. The effect of these
was at once apparent; for the savage, after carefully concealing his
shield and spears in the foliage of the adjacent bush, flung himself
prone and was at once lost to sight in the long grass. But a minute or
two later his head reappeared for a moment at a spot much nearer to the
ship, with the double object, apparently, of verifying his direction of
progress, and allowing those on board the _Flying Fish_ to see that he
was obeying their behest. By the time that the rope ladder had been
fixed in position at the lower extremity of the light openwork metal
gangway-ladder that was permanently fixed to the ship's side, the savage
was close enough to be spoken to; and the professor called down to him
to ascend without fear.

The native--a fine, stalwart bronzed figure of a savage, naked save for
the usual front and rear aprons of skin usually worn by them--needed no
second bidding, but instantly sprang at the ladder, up which he shinned
with the agility of a monkey, drawing it up after him the moment that he
had reached the top. Then, having carefully coiled it down upon the
bottom step of the permanent ladder, he ascended the latter to the deck,
and, stepping in through the gangway, halted as he raised his right hand
above his head in salute, with the single word--

"_Bietu_!"

Von Schalckenberg looked the man up and down for a moment, taking in
such details of his scanty costume as the fact that his