a thousand people living on Kuria--or rather,
on Kuria and Oneaka, for the island is divided by one of those narrow
channels before mentioned; and at Oneaka Tamu and Deschard lived, while
the Portuguese and the man Corton had long held joint sway with the
native chief of Kuria.

During the time the four renegades had lived on the island two vessels
that had touched there had had narrow escapes from seizure by the
natives. The first of these, a small Hawaiian whaling brig, was
attacked when she was lying becalmed between Kuria and Aranuka. A breeze
springing up, she escaped after the loss of a boat's, crew, who were
entrapped on the latter island. In this affair Deschard and Tamu had
taken part; in the next--an attempt to capture a sandalwooding barque
bound to China--he was leader, with Corton as his associate. The
sandalwooder, however, carried a large and well-armed crew, and the
treacherous surprise so elaborately planned came to ignominious failure.
Deschard accused his fellow-beachcomber of cowardice at a critical
moment. The two men became bitter enemies, and for years never spoke to
each other.

III.

But one afternoon a sail was sighted standing in for the island, and in
their hateful bond of villainy the two men became reconciled, and agreed
with Pedro and Tamu and some hundreds of natives to try to decoy the
vessel to an anchor and cut her off. The beachcombers, who were tired
of living on Kuria, were anxious to get away; the natives desired the
plunder to be obtained from the prize. A compact was then made that the
ship, after the natives had done with her, was not to be burnt, but was
to be handed over to the white men, who were to lead the enterprise.

*****

Sailing slowly along till she came within a mile of the reef, the
vessel hove to and lowered a boat. She was a large brigantine, and the
murderous beings who watched her from the shore saw with cruel pleasure
that she did not appear to carry a large crew.

It had been agreed upon that Corton, who had special aptitude for such
work, should meet the boat and endeavour to lure the crew into the
interior, under the promise of giving them a quantity of fresh-water
fish from the artificial ponds belonging to the chief, while Deschard
and the other two, with their body of native allies, should remain at
the village on Oneaka, and at the proper moment attack the ship.

As the boat drew near, the officer who was in charge saw that although
there