ther's son of us as
merry as crickets," sang out an Irish topman, whose own humour generally
proved a source of amusement to all with him.

The request was granted, and Queerface seemed to enjoy the prospect of
the trip as much as his companions. Away pulled the squadron of boats.
When daylight dawned they were coasting along the shore of an island
fringed with cocoa-nut trees, and hills rising in the centre. There
were numerous deep indentations, bays, and gulfs, with bluff cliffs here
here there, and high rocks scattered about, capital spots in which whole
fleets of prahus might lie hid without much chance of being discovered.
The weather was very hot, as it is apt to be within a few miles of the
equator; and when there was no wind, and the sea shone like a burnished
mirror, the sun came down with very considerable force on the top of the
heads of the party in the boats. Still their spirits did not flag.
Jack and Adair, indeed, had been pretty well seasoned to the heat of the
coast of Africa, where, if not greater, it was often far less
supportable.

Mr Cherry led: Jack and Terence followed side by side. A constant fire
of jokes was kept up between the two boats. Queerface evidently thought
that there was something in the wind, and kept jumping about with
unusual activity, keeping apparently as bright a lookout as anybody on
board. Not an inlet was passed unexplored, still not a sign of the
pirates could they discover. On going up one small but deepish river,
they came, close to the banks, on a native village. The inhabitants
must have taken to flight on their approach, for not a human being was
to be seen.

"That looks suspicious," exclaimed Adair. "We ought to burn this
village to teach them better manners."

Mr Cherry fortunately had no such intention. He had an idea that
burning people's houses was not the best way of making friends of them.

"Indeed, it would be a pity to have to destroy so picturesque a place,"
observed Jack Rogers.

The houses were mostly separate, built on piles four or five feet above
the ground. They were of one storey, with a deep verandah or gallery
running round them, a ladder leading up to it. The roofs, which were
high and pointed with deep eaves, were covered with a thick coating of
palm-leaves, and so were the walls, while the floors were made of bamboo
cut in strips and placed nearly an inch apart, being covered with a
thick, beautifully woven mat. They appeared s