and showed no symptoms of abatement,
when they again retired for the night. The following day Ready was up
early, as usual, and William accompanied him to the beach.

"I don't think that it blows so hard as it did, Ready."

"No, William, it does not; the gale is breaking, and by night, I have no
doubt, will be over. It is, however, useless looking for the vessel, as
she must be a long way from this. It would take her a week, perhaps, to
come back to us if she was to try to do so, unless the wind should
change to the northward or westward."

"Ready! Ready!" exclaimed William, pointing to the south-east part of
the reef; "what is that? Look! it's a boat."

Ready put his telescope to his eye. "It's a canoe, William, and there
are people in it."

"Why, where can they have come from? See! they are among the breakers;
they will be lost. Let us go towards them, Ready."

They hastened along the beach to the spot nearest to where the canoe was
tossing on the surf, and watched it as it approached the shore.

"William, this canoe must have been blown off from the large island,
which lies out there;" and Ready again looked through his telescope:
"there are two people in it, and they are islanders. Poor things! they
struggle hard for their lives, and seem much exhausted; but they have
passed through the most dangerous part of the reef."

"Yes," replied William, "they will soon be in smoother water; but the
surf on the beach is very heavy."

"They won't mind that, if their strength don't fail them--they manage
the canoe beautifully."

During this conversation the canoe had rapidly come towards the land.
In a moment or two afterwards, it passed through the surf and grounded
on the beach. The two people in it had just strength enough left to
paddle through the surf, and then they dropped down in the bottom of the
canoe, quite exhausted.

"Let's drag the canoe higher up, William. Poor creatures! they are
nearly dead."

While dragging it up, Ready observed that the occupants were both women:
their faces were tattooed all over; otherwise they were young, and might
have been good-looking.

"Shall I run up and get something for them, Ready?"

"Do, William; ask Juno to give you some of whatever there is for
breakfast; anything warm."

William soon returned with some thin oatmeal porridge, which Juno had
been preparing for breakfast; and a few spoonfuls being forced down the
throats of the two natives they gradu