take the bottle from
him, but he clutched it so firmly that I had to let it go; whereupon he
immediately put it to his lips and swallowed the rest of the liquor that
was in it. After which he gave a chuckle, and staggered to a couch, on
which he tumbled, and lay with his eyes open for a long while. At last
he fell asleep, but I was too nervous to do likewise, and sat watching
him the most of the night; at least, when I awoke it was daylight, and
it seemed to me that I had been asleep for a few minutes.

Jackson was still lying on the couch, and his face was calm and peaceful
as he softly breathed. The morning, too, was fine, and as I walked on to
the veranda I saw the sea sparkling in the sunlight, and there was not
a sound from it save a far-off and drowsy murmur. Not a sign remained
on its broad surface of the wrath of the day before. It was wonderfully
calm. Lying here and there on the veranda, rolled up in their clothes,
were the servants of the factory, sleeping soundly on the hard planks.

Presently, as the sun rose in the heavens and warmed the air, the place
began to show signs of life, and one of the watch that I had set on the
beach came running across the yard to tell me that the bodies had come
ashore.

Immediately upon hearing this I called the hammock-bearers together,
and going down to the beach, I went a considerable way along it toward
a dark spot, which I knew to be a group of natives. On coming up to the
group, I found at least fifty negroes collected round the drowned man
and woman, all chattering and squabbling among themselves, and probably
over the plunder, for I saw that the bodies had been stripped to
their underclothing. Rushing into the crowd, with the aid of a stick
I dispersed it, so far as to make the wretches stand back. The man, of
course, was Bransome, there was no doubt as to that, although he had
received a terrible blow on the left temple, most likely from the
pointed stem of the boat as it had toppled over upon him, and his face
was distorted and twisted to one side. The woman was evidently English,
young and pretty, although her long hair, heavy and wet, was polluted by
the sand that stuck to it, and her half-open eyes were filled with
the same. On her lips there lingered a slight smile. She was of middle
height, of slender figure, and delicately nurtured, as the small
bare feet and little hands showed. As I looked at the latter I saw a
wedding-ring on her finger, and I thought, "