ds were surprised, for they
supposed that the visitors were natives, who at the best could not
speak more than a few words of broken English.

This astonishment was turned to literal amazement when they saw that
the speaker was a Caucasian like themselves, one of the two standing
at the prow, and looking out upon them with a smiling countenance.
There was no mistaking the ruddy, sunburned face, the curling hair,
and the regular, European features of the young man, whose expanded
smile showed a set of white, even teeth, and he seemed to enjoy their
astonishment after hearing his words.

It was curious that they had failed to notice him before, inasmuch as
his dress was dissimilar from the others, he having the usual
tarpaulin hat and the broad trowsers of the American and English
sailor. It was plain, too, that he was scarcely a man, being, in fact,
a boy, who by some strange means was adrift in this part of the
world.

As soon as the proa was within reach of land, the youth sprang ashore,
and, walking straight up to Captain Bergen, extended his right hand to
him and his left to Mr. Storms, shaking both warmly, while, as he
spoke, he looked from the face of one to the other.

"How long have you been in this place? Judging from your clothes and
looks, I should say about twenty years? Do you want to emigrate? Where
are you from? What are your names? How came you here? My name is Fred
Sanders, and I've been knocking about among the South Sea Islands for
the last five years."

There was no resisting the jolly good-nature of the young man, who had
a habit of laughing heartily, when no one else could see anything to
laugh at, and whose high spirits always infected others with whom he
came in contact. But it would not have required much study for any one
to discover that he was a wild, reckless youth, who had probably run
away from home, and taken to bad ways from a natural inclination in
that direction.

While this interview was going on, Inez Hawthorne was absent, she
having withdrawn at the suggestion of her friends, though of course
the visitors knew of her presence, from having seen her on the beach.

Captain Bergen replied to the greeting of his friend:

"We have been here full three years. If I'm not mistaken, it is three
years and two weeks this very Thursday."

"Then that's just where you _are_ mistaken!" broke in Fred Sanders,
with his ringing laugh, "for it so happens that to-day isn't Thursday,
by a long