ore, and the captive white woman gave
the mate a despairing, agonised look that not only filled him with
the deepest commiseration for her, but almost convinced him that poor
Pendleton and the others were dead.

Another night of wearing anxiety passed, and again with the dawn a
single canoe came off, manned by half a dozen armed natives steered
by the Malay and carrying Miss Morey. This canoe was followed by many
others, but the leading one alone came close enough to the whaleship
to communicate. Little by little her savage crew drew nearer, watching
every movement of those on board with the utmost suspicion; the mate,
who was standing at the break of the poop on the starboard side, desired
them to come closer, holding in his hand a loaf of bread, which he said
he wanted to give to the white woman. The loaf was enclosed in a piece
of white paper, on which he had written these words--

"I fear that all on shore are murdered. I will wait here a few days in
the hope that you may be able to escape to us."

For some minutes the savages watched the white man, who, apparently
disgusted with his attempts to induce them to come closer and take the
loaf of bread, placed it on the rail and lit his pipe. The Malay again
urged him to come ashore and "see the captain" but Wright made an
impatient gesture and told him he must come closer if he wanted to talk.
The scoundrel did bring the canoe a few fathoms nearer, and then stopped
her way.

Then the girl, unable to restrain herself any longer, stood up and cried
out--

"All your friends on shore have been killed," then she leapt into the
water and swam towards the ship.

A yell of rage burst from the natives in the canoes, but it was
answered by the fire of musketry from the ship and the thunder of
two car-ronades, which, loaded with iron nuts and bolts, had been in
readiness, one on the poop, the other on the topgallant forecastle--and
the girl succeeded in reaching the ship's side in time to take hold of a
life-buoy secured to a line which was thrown to her, and Wright, jumping
overboard, helped the poor creature up over the side into safety.

Then began a desperate and furious assault to capture the ship. The
savages, led by the renegade Malay, made three successive attempts to
board, but were each time beaten back by Wright and his gallant seamen,
and the crystal water around the _Union_ was soon reddened to a deep
hue. Meanwhile the cable had been slipped, and, like the _