a great plunge, and a mighty sea fell upon her, and I was
swept away. No one saw me go, for no one knew that I was there, and the
night was very, very dark.

"When I came to the surface, I could see the ship's lights, and cried
out, but no one heard me, for the wind and sea made a great noise; and
then, too, there was sweeping rain In a little while the lights were
gone, and I was alone.

"'Now,' I said to myself, 'Vanaki, thou art a fool, and will go into the
belly of a shark because of becoming drunk.' And then my heart came back
to me, and I swam on easily over the sea, hoping that I would be missed,
and the ship heave-to, and send a boat. But I looked in vain.

"By-and-by the sky cleared, and the stars came out, but the wind still
blew fiercely, and the seas swept me along so quickly that I knew it
would be folly for me to try and face them, and try to swim back to
Ureparapara.

"'I will swim to Tog,' I said; 'if the sharks spare me I can do it.'
For now that the sky was clear, and I could see the stars my fear died
away; and so I turned a little, and swam to the west a little by the
north.

"There was a strong current with me, and hour by hour as I swam the wind
became less, and the sea died away.

"When daylight came I was not tired, and rested on my back. And as I
rested, two green turtle rose near me. They looked at me, and I was
glad, for I knew that where turtle were there would be no sharks. I am
not afraid of sharks, but what is a man to do with a shark in the open
sea without a knife?

"Towards noon there came rain I lay on my back and put my hollowed hands
together, and caught enough to satisfy my great thirst. The rain did not
last long.

"A little after noon I saw the land--the island of Tog. It was but three
leagues away.

"Then I swam into a great and swift tide-rip, which carried me to the
eastward. It was so strong that I feared it would take me away from the
island, but soon it turned and swept me to the westward. And then I saw
the land becoming nearer and nearer.

"When the sun was nearly touching the sea-rim, I was so close to the
south-end of Tog, that I could see the spars of a ship lying at anchor
in the bay called Pio. And then when the sun had set I could see the
lights of many canoes catching flying-fish by torchlight.

"I swam on and came to the ship. It was the _Aurore_.

"I clambered up the side-ladder, and stood on deck, and the man who was
on anchor watch--an ignorant T