nd its surface was now bared
and drying fast under the rays of the sun, for the rain had cleared off,
and the sky was a vault of unflecked blue once more.

The natives had told Harvey and Roka that this bay was a spot famed as
the haunt of a huge species of rock-cod called _pura_, some of which,
they said, "took two strong men to lift," and they were greatly pleased
when they found that both the white man and Roka knew the _pura_ well,
and had eagerly assented to Harvey's proposition that they should spend
an hour or two in the place, and try and get one or two of the gigantic
fish; as they had the necessary tackle--thick, six-plaited lines of coir
fibre, with heavy wooden hooks such as are used for shark-fishing by the
natives of the equatorial and north-west islands of the Pacific.

*****

Had Harvey and his companions been ten minutes later in turning aside
to enter the bay they would have been seen by Chard and Hendry ere they
descended the coral mound at the north end of the lagoon, and much
of this tale would not have been told. For had the destroyers of poor
Oliver and his crew discovered the canoes they probably would at
once have launched their boat again, and have put to sea, or at least
prepared themselves for an attack. But great events so often come of
small things.

For nearly an hour Harvey, Roka, and Huka fished for _pura_ from the
coral ledges, but without success. They had baited their hooks with
flying-fish, as was the practice of the Pikirami people.

"Master," said Roka presently to Harvey, "never have I had good luck
with flying-fish when fishing for _pura_ in mine own land of Manhiki.
'Tis a _feke_{*} that the pura loveth."

* Octopus.

"Ay, Roka, _feke_ is a good bait for the _pura_ and all those great fish
which live deep down in their _fale amu_" (houses of coral). "Let us
seek for one on the outer reef. Then we shall return here. It is in my
heart to show these our good friends of Pikirami that there is one white
man who can catch a _pura_."

Roka showed his white teeth in an approving smile. "Thou art a clever
white man, and can do all those things that we brown men can do. Malua
hath told me that there is no one like thee in all the world for skill
in fishing and many things. Let us go seek _feke_."

The rest of their party--the men from the _Motutapu_ and the Pikirami
people--were busily employed in preparations for cooking, some making
ready an oven of red-hot stones, other