e thing, and had returned to Taritai
again. The two fleets of canoes remained together for some little time,
discussing Krause, and then one of the Taritai men frankly admitted that
he (Krause) had tried to induce them to make a raid on Utiroa, but that
Niabon and the head men had set their faces against such a wicked act of
aggression.

"It is well for him then that he did not come to Utiroa to-day," said
old Kaibuka's son gravely. "Such a man as he is not wanted in our town.
So keep him at Taritai."

In the meantime Niabon and Tematau had set out for Taritai to acquaint
Mrs. Krause of the tragedy which had occurred. The moment they entered
the village they were surrounded by natives, who eagerly inquired when
Krause was returning--had he driven Tematau out of the Englishman's
house? etc., etc. Both Niabon and her companion expressed
surprise--neither they nor any one else in Utiroa had seen Krause, they
said, and Tematau had come with her to ask Mrs. Krause to try and induce
her husband to let him leave his service. The natives accepted their
story without the slightest doubt, and the two went on their way to the
white man's house.

As soon as she and Mrs. Krause were alone Niabon told her the cause of
her visit and the steps which had been taken by the head men of Utiroa
to conceal her husband's death, so that when the German warship arrived
and found him missing, the people of Utiroa could not be, even after
the most searching investigation, connected with his disappearance.
Mrs. Krause quite agreed that a wise course had been taken, for were it
proved that her husband had been killed in Utiroa, the man-of-war would
certainly inflict a terrible punishment on the village, as was usual
with German warships' procedure in the South Seas.

Then at Niabon's suggestion she summoned the head men, and told them
that her husband had not reached Utiroa. Something must have happened to
him. Would they send out and search for him, and if they found him, urge
him to return, as Tematau had come back, and there was now no occasion
for him (Krause) to offend the people of Utiroa by entering their
village armed.

The head men were only too willing, and at once sent out search parties,
and when Niabon was coming back, she met two of them, who told her
that they had been to Utiroa itself, but not one single person had seen
anything of the white man, and they were now returning along the weather
side of the island to search for hi