nding close to
me, looking out towards the breaking reef. 'Where is the boat that you
are hailing?'

"Neither of them answered; Tierney, turning towards me for a second,
made a curious half-commanding, half-imploring gesture as if to ask my
silence, and then gripping Brayley by his shoulder, stared wildly at the
white seeth of the breakers astern of us.

"A quick look along the decks for'ard showed me that all the native
sailors were on deck and clustered together in the waist, as far aft as
they dared come. Each man had hold of his fellow, and with open mouths
and wildly staring eyes they stood like statues of bronze, in an
attitude of horror and amazement.

"'What is it?' I commenced again, when Tierney slowly raised his
clenched and shaking hand and touched me.

"'Look,' he said, in a strange, quivering whisper, 'in the name of God,
man, what is that?'"

*****

"I followed the direction of his shaking hand. It pointed along the
broad, golden stream of moonlight that ran from close under our stern
right across to the low, black line that we knew was Ailuk Island. For a
moment I saw nothing, then, suddenly, amid the wild boil of the surf in
Auriki, I saw a boat, a white-painted boat with a black gunwale streak.
One person seemed to be sitting aft with his face drooping upon his
breast. The boat seemed to me to be in the very centre of the wild
turmoil of waters, and yet to ride with perfect ease and safety.
Presently, however, I saw that it was on the other side of the reef, yet
so close that the back spray from the curling rollers must have fallen
upon it."

*****

"Pushing Captain Tierney away from him, Brayley suddenly seemed to
straighten himself, and taking a step in advance of us he again hailed--

"'Boat, ahoy!'

"The loud, hoarse cry pealed over the waters, but no answer came from
the silent figure, and then Brayley turned towards us. His bronzed
features had paled to the hue of death, and for a moment or two his
mouth twitched.

"'For God's sake, Tierney, call the hands and lower the boat. It is
nothing from the other world that we see--_it is my daughter, Tessa_.'

"In a second the old man sprang into life and action, and in a shrill
voice that sounded like a scream he called, 'Man the boat, lads!'

"Before one could have counted twenty the boat was in the water, clear
of the falls, and Tierney and Brayley, with a crew of four natives, were
pulling swiftly for the other boat."

*****

"I