ted of the
daughters of his most notable chiefs, and occupied a house near by,
which was guarded day and night by men armed with breechloaders, who
had instructions to shoot any one who dared to even look at the king's
favourites.

And yet, strangely enough, the very people over whom this despot
tyrannised were devotedly attached to him; and many trading captains had
told me that he was "a real good sort when you got to know him." One
of these men a few years later conveyed Apinoka and five hundred of his
fighting-men to the neighbouring islands of Euria and Axanuka--two of
the loveliest gems of the mid-Pacific--and witnessed the slaughter of
the entire male population, Apinoka sparing only the young women and the
strongest children, keeping the former for himself and his chiefs, and
the children for slaves. As might have been expected, there were always
plenty of renegade and ruffianly white men eager to enter into his
service, in which they could give full fling to their instincts of
rapine and licentiousness.

I had never seen Apinoka nor any of his European hangers-on, and had
no desire to make his or their acquaintance, so I anxiously watched the
weather and had everything ready to get under way the moment we could do
so with safety. But though it was smooth enough inside the lagoon,
the wind continued to blow with undiminished violence, and even had it
moderated there was such a terrific sea tumbling in through the narrow
passage, that it would have been a most risky undertaking to have
attempted to beat out against a head wind, with such a heavy, sluggish
boat. Had I known what was to happen I should have risked it ten times
over.

At noon, whilst we were having our midday meal, Tematau, who was
standing for'ard, scanning the eastern shore of the atoll, said he could
see a boat coming towards us, beating up under a reefed mainsail and
jib.

"It is one of Apinoka's boats, Simi," said Niabon, "for there is no
trader in Apamama; the king will let no one trade here."

"Well, we can't help ourselves," I said, as I looked at the boat through
my glasses; "she is beating up for us--there is no doubt about that. I
daresay we shall get rid of them when they find out who we are."

Niabon shook her head, and by their faces I saw that both Tepi and
Tematau did not like the idea of our awaiting the coming boat.

"What can we do?" I said, with childish petulance. "We cannot go to sea
in such weather as this, and get kn