Ralph Henry Barbour

“ An instant later a shrill scream came from the schooner. A black sprang to his feet, threw up his arms, spun round and fell. A grim smile of triumph lit up Keith's face. It had been a lucky shot—one he could not hope to equal in a dozen—but it had given Moniz something to think about. Keith held up his hand as a signal to his rowers to stop. Immediately they all ducked below the gunwale, as though the frail shell of the boat were impervious to rifle fire. ”

“ Joan was crushed against the rail, but what she saw brought a cry of joy to her lips.
For the man whose fingers were clutched savagely round Moniz's throat was Keith!
The Portuguese muttered a surprised oath, which ended in a choking sound, and attempted to swing round on his assailant. He was held, however, as in a steel trap. The four blacks who had returned to the schooner with Moniz were standing on the deck forward of the mainmast, watching the struggle, calm though deeply interested; for the soul of your half-civilized South Sea islander is ever athirst for the sight of a regal battle. ”

“ Moniz asked, unmoved.
Isa grunted.
"Don't forget Marster Keith," the trader said with sudden fury. "He kill you if you no kill him."
Isa made a curious grimace, twisting his ugly face up at one side, and passed the sharp blade in front of his own throat to illustrate his intentions. Then he gripped the knife in his teeth and dropped back into the water. For a moment or two Moniz heard the swish of the black's arm as he propelled his body forward in the darkness. Then there was silence. Moniz bared his teeth in a grin, as one who is well satisfied with what he has done. ”

“ Exactly what was to constitute a "large" pearl was not determined, but Trent felt he could be magnanimously generous with plugs of tobacco if pearls worth a hundred dollars a-piece or more came rolling in. The divers, like savages the world over, were boisterously playful now that they were in a happy frame of mind. They laughed and indulged in horse-play, blissfully unconscious of the fact that a single pearl which they might fetch to the surface could be worth enough sheath-knives to sink the whale-boat, or indeed the whale-boat and the ketch together. ”

“ THE PEARL OF TAO TAO NEVER had Tao Tao looked more perfect than in the golden dawn when, for the last time, Chester rang the great gong on the veranda, to assemble the blacks for their journey over to their new employers on the island of Tamba. The sun had barely made its appearance before the labourers were stowed, a solid mass of chattering humanity, on the deck of the Kestrel. ”

“ As the boat was pushed off she bade him good luck, and even smiled; but before the ebony hued oarsmen had taken a score of strokes the smile gave place to an expression of grave concern. The trip was a hazardous one, for it was evident from what had gone before that Moniz would not hesitate to take life rather than be driven off the reef. She stood on the beach watching until the measured plash of the oars was lost, and the whale-boat was little more than a dot in the distance. ”

“ Here!" she called; but Baloo well knew the dog's fate.
No further word was spoken, and the savage glitter of the man's eyes and the cruel smirk on his coarse face told the girl more plainly than words what dire peril she was in. Fear clutched at her heart as, clinging desperately to the whip, and still confronting the mutinous black with an expression of mingled courage, disdain and righteous anger, she strove to think of some way to safety. ”

“ Moniz's shoulders were massive, and he had a peculiarly long reach; but though he lacked the sheer power of the man before him, he was quick as a cat in every movement, he had the sinew of a horse, and he possessed the grim, relentless determination which carries a man beyond his normal breaking-point when it comes to a life and death struggle. ”

“ Without removing her eyes from him, the girl stepped backward, and unhooked the long, evil-looking whip.
Baloo knew that whip. His introduction to it was effected within a week of his being taken to the island, and the recollection was highly painful.
"Go," the girl cried, gripping the short handle and allowing the pliant lash to wave menacingly.
The black half crouched, but not cringingly. He was getting ready to leap, and as the girl divined this she became aware for the first time in her life of her own physical weakness. Thrashing blacks with a whip is not a woman's work. ”

“ LOVE AT DAWN RUNNING down the beach were a number of blacks.
Keith sprang across the sand to the low scrub beyond, and not until they were concealed behind it did he release Joan. It seemed that they had reached cover without being observed, while they had the natives in plain sight.
"It must be the men off the schooner," said Keith. "They're running their boat down to the water. Goodness only knows what has happened on this island during the last hour or two, though!"
"I'm afraid the bungalow is in ruins, anyway," Joan added sorrowfully. "See, they are not all going off in the boat!" ”

“ Chester was not saying what he believed, but what he thought would comfort the girl.
Suddenly Keith, who had not spoken for hours, made a weak attempt to rise on to his elbow and fixed his burning eyes on an imaginary person in the room.
"Listen here," he said in hollow tones, moistening his parched lips with his tongue, "I tell you you're dead, Murdock. Can't you let a man alone for a while?" ”

“ There is a romance attached to pearling that never dies, and the gambling element of it has a subtle fascination. It is always the unknown, the uncertain in life that attracts the adventurous spirit; and the adventurous spirit was strong in all three members of the expedition.
The men were careful to see that they were well provided with arms and ammunition, in case of a sudden return by the trader, and it was still early in the forenoon when the Kestrel spread her sails to the breeze and glided across the limpid water toward the reef, with the whale-boat in tow. ”

“ Also there's Peter Pan. We could count on him to stand by us to the end of time."
"Peter Pan?" Keith repeated, puzzled. Joan, who had joined them, smiled.
"He's quite grown up in one way," she said. "For an islander he is a perfect giant. Maybe he is thirty years old. He certainly is the most cheerful black I ever knew. They are all very simple in a way, though it is simplicity tempered with cunning as a rule. But Peter Pan is just a huge child. He broke both his legs two years ago and he thought the devil-devil was going to get him till Chester patched him up. ”

“ It was a delicate situation, because when he did lay his cards on the table he must, willy nilly, accept the best terms that the grasping Portuguese chose to give. Therefore he must flutter, moth-like, round the flame for a while, flirting with the subject, or even giving the impression, if possible, that there was no subject to come under discussion at all, though both men knew come it must.
Moniz clapped his hands, and a house boy appeared as if by magic. ”

“ The trader again closed one eye, and Chester, who felt this was an auspicious moment for thawing, smiled vaguely. The potent spirit—which had never been anywhere near Scotland but had been specially manufactured in Queensland for "the islands" where men cannot afford to be too discriminating—was beginning to work. The edge was taken off his judgment. He still knew Moniz to be an unscrupulous scoundrel, but if Moniz really was able to make money with his schemes, and if he wanted a partner to replace the man who had drunk himself to death, perhaps this was a golden opportunity. ”

“ The millionaire is a specialized sort of creature who has got to the point where making another million or so is the only thing that gives him any real pleasure. It's a joy, of a kind, to him to do so, but he doesn't get as much real happiness out of it as the nigger does in gagging a shark with a stick. The trouble with people like the millionaire is that they have learnt to think too much about the safety of their own skins. They ought to go about under a glass case."
"I think I know what you mean," Joan said, "but it is entirely a man's viewpoint. ”

“ For the space of twenty seconds Keith remained silent.
"My leaving the Four Winds in these waters was the best thing that could have happened, in more ways than one," he said slowly. "It—it wasn't very pleasant on that ship, especially toward the finish. But my greatest good fortune was drifting on to Tao Tao. If anyone has cause to be thankful, Miss Trent, it is I. You have been very good to me, you know. I appreciate it all more than I can say. It is—it is rather a rough life at sea, and one is inclined to become brutish after a long spell of it. ”

“ Keith was not certain whose body the bullet would enter if the revolver went off, but as far as he could tell it would be that of the Portuguese. He decided to risk everything on the hazard, and increased the pressure of his fingers over those of the man who was bent on killing him.
The weapon spat fire venomously. There was a scream of agony as Moniz relaxed his snake-like grip. With his arms waving, he struggled to his feet and tottered backward until he collided with the rail. There was a tense hush on the deck as he leaned over the side with a jerk. ”

“ With a sudden twist of his great frame, Moniz turned, his chest now becoming pressed close to that of Keith, and they were locked in that position momentarily, each having an arm round the other's shoulder.
"Ah, it is you!" Moniz gasped, not without a queer sense of savage joy, for there was no man he would rather fight to a finish than the American whom he had learnt to hate, though there were few who came nearer to matching his strength. ”

“ Keith and Chester held a hasty consultation and decided to swing forward their right and left flank until this particular thicket was surrounded. Five minutes later there was a living ring round the spot, and two or three of the more courageous blacks pushed their way warily into the bushes. Wild cries of exultation rose from the natives—a savage roar calculated to inspire fear in the heart of any living thing at their mercy. A hunt such as this was just what appealed to them. Against Isa and Baloo they had no personal feeling. ”

“ Steel," said Chester, "Tao Tao is in the market, so you might cast your discriminating eyes over the place before you leave us."
"With pleasure," Steel agreed.
They were all sitting on the veranda, awaiting the call to luncheon. Keith felt as though a fierce fire was burning inside his head. When addressed directly he replied in monosyllables. He could not think rationally for more than a minute at a time. ”

“ The hurricane had torn a great path right across the island, levelling everything in its way, and the trees that had not actually been uprooted were so much damaged that nothing less than disaster had overtaken the planter of Tao Tao.
"My advice to you," Keith said to Chester on his return, "is to clear out of here, and forget you ever saw the place, the moment the storm subsides and you feel well enough to travel. The plantation is like the little boy's apple: there ain't going to be no core." ”

“ But the morrow brought the unexpected. While the trio were at breakfast, making deliberate plans for the coming fight, the bird-like schooner, fluttering a white sheet once more, dropped anchor in the bay. ”

“ In another couple of hours as the blacks' muscles grew weary, the boat would begin to be carried remorselessly away from Tamba and Tao Tao.
The wind lashed the water savagely, sometimes cutting thin slices clean off the surface and hurling them hundreds of feet.
In an hour the blacks had lost ground to the extent of about a mile. The strain was beginning to tell on them. Keith feared to urge them on too much lest they should use up all their strength and become virtually useless.
Another hour, and Tamba was further away than ever. Keith put his hand on Joan's shoulder. ”

“ Keith had seen too many good men go wrong in those latitudes not to get an inkling of her meaning, but it seemed no moment for beating about the bush.
"You mean he's drinking?" he asked in matter-of-fact tones.
The girl nodded.
"Chester was all right until a few months ago," she said. "Perhaps he needs a dose of civilization to help him to realize his folly. I do not think it is good for any one to remain here without a change for four years, as he has done. One cannot blame a man if the finer side of him begins to wear a little thin at the edges when he stays too long. ”

“ Moniz showed his white teeth in a broad smile, made another sweeping bow to Joan, and rowed back to the schooner.
"Don't you acknowledge that I was right," the girl asked, "when I said he wasn't to be trusted?"
"I doubt whether the devil will trust him with a coal shovel when the time comes," Keith declared.
"Thank goodness you were here," Joan said. "He always gives me an uncomfortable feeling as though he were trying to get behind me and stab me in the back."
"Well, he's a cool customer! Look there! If he isn't making a bee-line for the reef again!" ”

“ Moniz was a pariah, with the reputation of a thief—and worse. White men, by common consent, consider it the unforgiveable sin to supply firearms to the blacks in some places. A man sinks low before he sells trade gin indiscriminately, for under its fiery influence natives may attempt anything; but an armful of rifles with ammunition which, even though it may have been condemned as rotten, is as likely to go off as not, may cause many a white man's head to be smoke-dried and hung as a proud trophy in an island canoe house. ”

“ Only the soft swish of the water as it rippled along the sides of the steamer, and the steady thud thud of the propeller. A fitful moon occasionally glared down on a dead calm sea. Up on the bridge of the Four Winds a Kanaka helmsman mechanically kept her sou'east-by-south, and wondered vaguely about a little brown baby that ought to be able to swim by now. ”

“ When he awoke, just after sunrise, it was with the feeling that life was bigger and finer than ever before, and when, having jumped blithely from bed, he strode to the window and sent his gaze abroad over the world he nodded slowly in hearty approval of nature and all her works. ”

“ ON THE SCHOONER'S DECK "WHERE am I?" Joan asked with a catch in her breath as she glanced round.
"You are safe. Do not be afraid, little one," the Portuguese replied, his teeth gleaming white in the rays of the lamp. "This is my ship. It is better to be late than never. It was only just in time, though, that I arrived with my men."
Joan had regained her feet.
"What has happened?" she demanded imperiously.
"I fear you people of Tao Tao have been the victims of a rebellion," Moniz declared smoothly. ”

“ MONIZ SINGS CHESTER awoke next morning with a bad headache, an intense thirst, and a full realization of the fact that he had made a fool of himself. He went ashore, in none too sweet a temper, to settle the terms of partnership with Moniz, who artfully suggested that they should crack a bottle together in celebration of the event. On one pretext and another the Portuguese postponed the discussion of business until he judged Chester's mood was softened, and then, producing pen and paper, began to draw up an agreement. ”