the water was a clear, pale green, unblemished in its purity except by
an occasional patch of growing coral, which changed its colours from
grey to purple and from purple to jetty black as a passing cloud for
a brief space dimmed the lustre of the tropic sun. Beyond the line
of green the great curving sweep of reef, with the snow-white,
ever-breaking, murmuring surf churning and frothing upon it; and, just
beyond that, the deep, deep blue of the Pacific.

"There's no natives here, Louis," said Chard confidently, as his keen,
black eyes traversed the scene before them; "we can see a clear seven or
eight miles along the beaches, and there's not a canoe to be seen on any
one of them. We'll spell here for a day or two, or more, if the weather
has not settled."

Hendry nodded in his usual sullen manner. "All right. We want a day to
overhaul the boat thoroughly; the mainsail wants looking to as well."

"Well, let us get back, and then we'll have a look over the next islet
to this one before dark. We may come across some turtle tracks and get a
nest of eggs."

They descended the mound, and set out along the outer beach on their way
back to the camp.

Had they remained but a few minutes longer they would have seen two
canoes come into view about three miles to the southward, paddling
leisurely towards the northernmost islet.

CHAPTER XI

The two canoes were manned by some of the crew of the _Motutapu_
together with six natives of Pikirami; one was steered by Harvey, the
other by Huka the Savage Islander; and as they paddled along within
a few feet of each other the crews laughed and jested in the manner
inherent to all the Malayo-Polynesians when intent on pleasure.

That morning Harvey, tiring of the inaction of the past three days, had
eagerly assented to a proposal made by Huka that they should make a trip
round the lagoon, and spend a day or two away from the village, fishing
and shooting. Several young Pikirami natives at once launched two of
their best canoes, and placed them at Harvey's and Atkins's service, and
offered to go with the party and do all the paddling, cooking, etc.

"Ay," said Nena the head-man, a little wizen-faced but kindly-eyed old
fellow, whose body was so deeply tatooed in broad vertical bands that
scarcely a strip of brown skin could be seen--"ay, ye must take my
young men; for are ye not our guests, ye, and the brown sailor men as
well? and they shall tend on ye all. That is our cu