ull upon his face.

"We must save him," said Denviers, "but I'm afraid there will be some
difficulty in doing so. Wake Hassan as quickly as you can." I roused the
Arab, and when he scanned the face and form of the apparently wrecked
man he said, in a puzzled tone:--

"Sahibs, the man looks like a Papuan, but we are far too distant from
their land for that to be so."

"The mast and ropes seem to me to be very much weather-beaten," I
interposed, as the light showed them clearly. "Why, the wreck is an old
one!"

[Illustration: "A STRANGE BEING."]

"Jump!" cried Denviers, at that moment, to the man clinging to the
rigging, just as the waters, with a swirl, sent us past the ship. The
watcher flung his blazing torch into the waves, and the hiss of the
brand was followed by a splash in the sea. The holder of it had dived
from the rigging and directly after reappeared and clambered into our
boat, saved from death, as we thought--little knowing the fell purpose
for which he had been stationed to hold out the flaring torch as a
welcoming beacon to be seen afar by any vessel in distress. I glanced at
the dangerous ring of coral reef round the island on which the ship had
once struck, and then looked at the repulsive islander, who sat gazing
at us with a savage leer. Although somewhat resembling a Papuan, as
Hassan had said, we were soon destined to know what he really was, for
the Arab, who had been glancing narrowly and suspiciously at the man,
whispered to us cautiously:--

"Sahibs, trust not this islander. We must have reached the land where
the Tamils dwell. They have a sinister reputation, which even your slave
has heard. This savage is one of those who lure ships on to the coral
reefs, and of whom dark stories are told. He is a black wrecker!"

II.

We managed by means of Hassan to communicate to the man who was with us
in the boat that we were desperately in need of food, to which he made
some unintelligible response. Hassan pressed the question upon him
again, and then he volunteered to take our boat through the dangerous
reefs which were distinguishable in the clear waters, and to conduct us
to the shore of the island, which we saw was beautifully wooded. He
managed the boat with considerable skill, and when at last we found
ourselves upon land once again, we began to think that, perhaps, after
all, the natives might be friendly disposed towards us.

Our new-found guide entered a slight crevice in the limesto