out a year and a half
ago some one in Honolulu told us that a man supposed to be the infamous
Billy Chase had turned up in the Carolines with fifteen or twenty
'niggers'--as they call the Melanesian natives in these parts--and
settled down as a trader. It must be the same man, and no doubt he is
an old acquaintance of Rawlings'."

"No doubt whatever, Mrs. Tracey. No doubt but that the whole precious
quartette are steeped in villainies, and there is no doubt that they
have now reached the end of their tether, and that with God's help we
shall bring them to a reckoning. But we shall have to act with
caution, for this man Warner, or Chase, with his crew of bloodthirsty
savages will certainly fight for the cold-blooded villains who murdered
your husband and tried to murder you."

"I cannot say--I am not Christian enough to say--that vengeance is
God's. If the power of vengeance lay in my hand now I would use it,"
she said, excitedly.

Barry remained silent for awhile, until her emotion had subsided. Then
he said gravely--

"There is no fear of Rawlings coming to Tebuan. That idea of mine of
firing at our boat was a happy one, and although Joe here is the only
white sailor in the secret, the other three on board will stand to us
when the time arrives. As for the native crew, they have sworn to help
us, and when I am out with them in the boats they often laugh at the
way we are fooling the captain. I have promised them, on your behalf,
a hundred dollars each as a bonus, when we reach either Sydney or
Singapore."

"You think of everything, Mr. Barry," she said gratefully. "Now let me
tell you that I too have been working. Every day since I saw you the
Tebuan people have been diving for me, and I think we must have quite
two or three tons of shell. The pearls we have found I brought with me
to show you. There is a coconut-shell nearly half full--some are
simply lovely. . . . And, now I think of it, I won't show them to
you--I shall keep them for your future wife."

* * * * * *

That was indeed a happy night for Barry, Mrs. Tracey, and their native
friends. No one cared to sleep, for there was much to be talked of,
and plans arranged for future meetings. Once every week Mrs. Tracey
was to await Barry and Velo at the little island, and each were to
report progress.

Early in the morning Velo, Joe, and Barry set out on a pig hunt,
accompanied by the three male natives from T