Rawlings came on board as passenger, and we sailed direct for Strong's
Island to pick up Gurden. To our great sorrow we found that the old
man was dead and buried--had died a week previously. He had made a
will leaving all of his share and interest in the venture to me.

"To a certain extent Barradas had my husband's confidence, but neither
he nor Rawlings knew either the name or position of this
place--whatever other information they had gained from our former crew.
They had, however, thoroughly ingratiated themselves with him, and
though he had not actually revealed to them the name or position of
Arrecifos, they knew pretty well everything else concerning it.

"After leaving Port Lele, we steered south-west for the Ellice Islands,
where my husband knew he could obtain a crew of divers (we could get
none in Honolulu), and then, besides divers, he also intended to engage
about ten or a dozen families of Ellice Islanders to settle down here
permanently, for the British Consul had given him a temporary 'letter
of protection,' and authorised him to hoist the English flag on
Arrecifos Lagoon, but had yet strongly advised him to proceed to Sydney
and lay his case before the commodore of the Australian squadron, who,
he said, would no doubt send a warship to Arrecifos and take formal
possession of the place as British territory. This advice my husband
decided to follow. He also meant to buy some diving suits and pumping
gear, for Gurden had said that he believed the best shell in the lagoon
was to be obtained at a depth of eighteen fathoms--too deep for the
ordinary native method of diving. You can imagine my delight when he
told me that we should be going to Sydney, for that town is my native
place, and it was there that we were married seven years ago. And we
would often talk of what a beautiful home we would make here in the
course of a few years."

Here her fast-falling tears choked her utterance, and Barry bade her
rest awhile. She obeyed him, and for some ten minutes or so no sound
broke the silence but the ever restless clamour of the surf upon the
outer reef, and now and then a whispered word, exchanged between the
native seamen, who, seated at the other end of the house, regarded her
with their dark eyes full of sympathy.

"We made a direct course for the Ellice Islands," resumed Mrs. Tracey,
"and met with light winds till we were near Pleasant Island, when it
began to blow steadily from the north-west.