he said. "I will pay liberally."

Raymond spoke to the chief in Samoan and told him the captain's request,
and Malie answered in the same language.

"As you will, Lemonti. But why toil any longer? My men are all ready and
anxious. We can take the ship now at any time, once my men are here."

"And I, too, am ready, Alalia. But it was in my mind to wait and see if,
when the bell strikes eight, half of the _auva'a_ (ship's crew) would
not go below to sleep, so that we shall have less disturbance."

"What matters it?" said Alalia with good-humoured contempt; "there are
less than a score of them, and when the word is spoken they will be as
easily overpowered and bound as a strong man can overpower and bind a
child."

"Then let it be as you say," said Raymond in the same quiet tones; "let
us call the men on board, and, when the bell is struck at midnight,
we shall seize those evil men together--as the bell is struck the last
time."

"Good!" said the chief, as he nonchalantly rolled himself a cigarette in
a piece of dried banana leaf which he took from his tappa waist cloth.
"I will tell them how to act."

"What does he say?" asked Ryan.

"He is quite willing, but he says his men are really tired now, and want
a good long spell. They are not used to such work, and he does not
want to give them cause for grumbling. They are very touchy sometimes.
However, after the next downpour clears off, they will tow you another
two or three miles." (And Raymond meant this literally, for he, Frewen,
and the chief wanted to see the _Esmeralda_ at anchor off Samatau by
daylight.)

At a call from Raymond the boats came alongside, and as the crews
clambered on deck Malie told them how to dispose themselves about the
ship so that when the signal was given the mutineers could be seised
without their being afforded any opportunity of resistance. Five or six
of his best men followed him aft, whilst the others mingled with the
crew, most of them going down into the foc'sle. The Chilenos, however,
although satisfied of the friendly intentions of their visitors, were
still a little nervous, for, despite the fact that none of the natives
carried even so much as a knife, the wild appearance they presented was
somewhat disconcerting to men who had never before come in contact with
what they termed "savages." Fully one half of Malie's followers were
men of such stature that the undersized though wiry Chilenos looked like
dwarfs beside them; the