n a few minutes they reached her, just as a big roller had all but got
her and carried her right on top of Auriki. I saw Brayley get out of our
boat and into the other, and lift the sitting figure up in his arms, and
then Tierney made fast a line, took the strange boat in tow, and headed
back for the ship.

"When the boat was within speaking distance, Tierney hailed me--'Get
some brandy ready--she is alive.'"

*****

"We carried her into the cabin, and as Brayley bent his face over the
poor, wasted figure of his child, the hot tears ran down his cheeks, and
Tierney whispered to me, 'She is dying fast.'

"We all knew that as soon as we looked at her. Already the grey shadows
were deepening on the face of the wanderer as we gathered around her,
speaking in whispers. Suddenly the loud clamour of the ship's bell,
struck by an unthinking sailor, made the girl's frame quiver.

"With a look of intense pity the captain motioned to Brayley to raise
her head to try and get her to swallow a teaspoonful of water. Tenderly
the trader raised her, and then for a moment or two the closed, weary
eyelids slowly drew back and she gazed into his face.

"'Thank God,' the captain said, 'she knows you, Brayley.'

"A faint, flickering smile played about her lips and then ceased. Then a
long, low sigh, and her head fell upon his breast."

*****

"At daylight we hove-up anchor and stood on our course for Brayley's
Station on Arhnu. Just as we rounded the south end of Ailuk Island we
saw the _Lahaina_, schooner, lying-to and signalling that she wanted
to speak. Her skipper came aboard, and hurriedly shaking hands with us,
asked if we knew that Jack Brayley's little Tessa had gone adrift in his
boat ten days ago.

"Silently Tierney led him to the open skylight and pointed down to where
she lay with her father kneeling beside her.

"'Poor man!' said the skipper of the _Lahaina_. 'I'm real sorry. I heerd
from the natives that Tessa and two native girls and a boy took the
whaleboat, for a joke like, and she said she was going to meet her
father, as she had seen him in her sleep, an' she reckoned he was close
to on the sea somewhere. I guess the poor thing's got swept to leeward
by the current. They had a sail in the boat.'

"'Aye,' said Tierney, 'a squall must have struck the boat and carried
away the mast; it was snapped off short about a foot above the thwart.'"

*****

"When we ran into Maduro Lagoon three days afterwards our flag