e.

"What's your name?" I said, as we walked along, at first in silence.

"Iris."

"Iris--what?"

But before she could answer, two girls appeared round the pile of rocks,
which we had nearly gained. They looked startled at seeing me, then
scared, and no doubt I looked a little wild, for a rational white man
walking along the beach in soaked and dripping clothes was not an
everyday object. Then they advanced shyly and somewhat awkwardly, and
it occurred to me that they did not look quite the equals in the social
scale of my little friend.

The latter whispered to me, hurriedly and concernedly.

"Don't tell them anything about me--about finding me as you did. I
shall never be allowed to go into the water again. Don't tell them.
Promise you won't."

What could I do but give the required promise? Then the little one,
with a hurried good-bye, skipped off to join the two, who were awaiting
her--rather awkwardly--at a little distance off.

"Ungrateful little animal!" I thought to myself. "She would never have
seen land again but for me--that's as certain as that she's on it now."

Child-like, her first thought had been for herself--smothering even the
barest expression of thanks. I did not want to be thanked for saving
her little life, still I thought she might have shown a trifle more
appreciation, child though she was. And as I wended my way back, my
clothes fast drying on me under the powerful rays of the midday sun,
another and a meaner thought struck me, begotten, I hope, of my lonely
and forlorn condition. I did not want gratitude; still, the incident
might have availed to make me friends of some sort in this strange and
far away land, and of such I had none.

In a state of corresponding depression, I sat down to dinner. There
were two other men present, rough specimens of the small agricultural
class, who performed marvellous feats of attempted knife swallowing; and
as I divided my energies between keeping off the swarming flies and
taking in the necessary sustenance, I began to wonder what on earth I
should do to get a living until the two months necessary to hear from
England had elapsed. Indeed, I began almost to regret my steady refusal
of Captain Morrissey's proffered loan; for that prince of good fellows
had been really hurt because I had refused to borrow a ten pound note
from him--which, he said, was most of what he had with him; but what did
he want with money anyhow then, he urged, bei