THE BROTHERS-IN-LAW: A TALE OF THE EQUATORIAL ISLANDS, and THE BRASS GUN OF THE BUCCANEERS From "The Tapu Of Banderah and Other Stories" By Louis Becke C. Arthur Pearson Ltd. 1901 THE BROTHERS-IN-LAW: A TALE OF THE EQUATORIAL ISLANDS "There, " said Tâvita the teacher, pointing with his paddle to a long, narrow peninsula which stretched out into the shallow waters of thelagoon, "there, that is the place where the battle was fought. In thosedays a village of thirty houses or more stood there; now no one liveththere, and only sometimes do the people come here to gather cocoanuts. " The White Man nodded. "'Tis a fair place to look upon. Let us land andrest awhile, for the sun is hot. " The native pastor swung the bow of the canoe round towards the shore, and presently the little craft glided gently upon the hard, white sand, and the two men got out, walked up to the grove of cocoa-palms, and satdown under their shade to rest and smoke until the sun lost some of itsfierce intensity and they could proceed on their journey homeward to theprincipal village. The White Man was the one trader living in Peru, {*} the native was aSamoan, and one of the oldest and bravest missionaries in the Pacific. For twenty years he had dwelt among the wild, intractable, and savagepeople of Peru--twenty years of almost daily peril, for in those daysthe warlike people of the Gilbert Group resented the coming of the fewnative teachers scattered throughout the archipelago, and only Tavita'sundaunted courage and genial disposition had preserved the lives ofhimself and his family. Such influence as he now possessed was due, notto his persistent attempts to preach Christianity, but to his reputationfor integrity of conduct and his skill as a fisherman and carpenter. * Francis Island, or Peru, is one of the largest atolls of the Gilbert Group in the South Pacific, about one hundred and twenty miles south of the Equator The White Man and he were firm friends, and that day they had been downto the north end of the lagoon to collect a canoe load of the eggs ofa small species of tern which frequented the uninhabited portion of theisland in myriad swarms. Presently, as they sat and smoked, and lazily watched a swarm of thesilvery mullet called _kanae_ disporting themselves on the glassysurface of the lagoon, the White Man said-- "Who were these white men, Tâvita, who fought in the battle?" "Hast never heard the story?" inquired the teacher in Samoan. The trader shook his head. "Only some of it--a little from one, a littlefrom another. " "Then listen, " said Tâvita, re-filling his pipe and leaning his broadback against the bole of a cocoa-palm. ***** "It was nineteen years ago, and I had been living on the island but ayear. In those days there were many white men in these islands. Somewere traders, some were but _papalagi tafea_{*} who spent their daysin idleness, drunkenness, and debauchery, casting aside all pride andliving like these savage people, with but a girdle of grass around theirnaked waists, their hands ever imbued in the blood of their fellow whitemen or that of the men of the land. * Beachcombers. "Here, on this island, were two traders and many beachcombers. One ofthe traders was a man named Carter, the other was named West Carterthe people called 'Karta, ' the other by his fore name, which was 'Simi'(Jim). They came here together in a whaleship from the Bonin Islandswith their wives--two sisters, who were Portuguese half-castes, and bothvery beautiful women. Carter's wife had no children; West, who wasthe younger man, and who had married the younger sister, had two. Both brought many thousands of dollars worth of trade with them to buycocoanut oil, for in those days these natives here did not make copra asthey do now--they made oil from the nuts. "Karta built a house on the north end of the island, where there is thebest anchorage for ships, West chose to remain on the lee side wherehe had landed, and bought a house near to mine. In quite a few days webecame friends, and almost every night we would meet and talk, and hischildren and mine played together. He was quite a young man, and hadbeen, he told me, the third mate of an English ship which was cast awayon the Bonin Islands four years before, where he had met Karta, who wasa trader there, and whose wife's sister he married. "One day they heard from the captain of a whaleship that there was muchmoney to be made on this island of Peru, for although there were manybeachcombers living here there was no trader to whom the people couldsell their oil. So that was why they came here. "Now, although these two men were married to two sisters, there was butlittle love between them, and then as time went on came distrust, andthen hatred, born out of Karta's jealousy and wicked heart; but untilthey came to live here on Peru there had been no bad blood--not evenenough to cause a bitter word, though even then the younger man did notlike Karta, who was a man of violent temper, unfaithful to his wife, and rude and insulting in his manner to most men, white or brown. AndSerena, his wife, hated him, but made no sign. "As time went on, both men prospered, for there was much oil to be had, and at the end of the first year a schooner came from Sydney and boughtit I went on board with Simi, after the oil had been rafted off to theship's side. Karta, too, came on board to be paid for his oil. He hadbeen drinking much grog and his face was flushed and angry. With himwere three beachcombers whose foul language and insolent demeanourangered both the captain and Simi, who were quiet men. There were six orseven of these beachcombers living on the island, and they all dislikedSimi, who would have none of their company; but in Karta's house theywere made welcome. Night after night they would gather there and drinkand gamble, for some of them had bags of dollars, for dissolute and idleas they were for the most of their time they could make money easilyby acting as interpreters for the natives, to the captains of thewhaleships, or as pilots to the trading vessels sailing northward to theMarshall Islands. "The captain paid Simi partly in money and partly in trade goods, forthe two hundred casks of oil he bought, and then Simi and I turned to goon shore. Karta had scarce spoken ten words to Simi, who yet bore him noill-will, although for many months tales had come to us of the evil lifehe led and the insults he put upon his wife Serena. "But after he had bidden farewell to the captain, Simi held out hishand to his brother-in-law and said--'My wife Luisa sendeth love andgreetings to Serena. Is she in good health?' "Karta would not take the hand held out to him. "'What is that to thee or thy wife either?' he answered rudely. 'Look tothy own business and meddle not with mine. ' "Simi's face grew red with anger, but he spoke quietly and reproved hisbrother-in-law for his rude speech. 'Why insult me needlessly before somany strangers?' he said. 'What harm have I or my wife Luisa ever doneto thee?' "'Curse thee and Luisa, thy wife, ' said Karta again; 'she and thee, aye, and Serena too, are well matched, for ye be all cunning sneaks and fitcompany for that fat-faced Samoan psalm-singer who stands beside thee. ' "At these words the three beachcombers laughed, and when they saw thatSimi made no answer, but turned aside from Karta in contempt, one ofthem called him a coward. "He turned upon him quickly. 'Thou liest, thou drunken, useless cumbererof the earth, ' he said, looking at him scornfully; 'no coward am I, nora noisy boaster like thee. This is no place for us to quarrel. But saysuch a thing to me on the beach if ye dare. ' "'He is my friend/ said Karta, speaking with drunken rage, and thrustinghis face into Simi's, 'he is as good a man as thee any day. To strikehim or any one of us thou art afraid, thou cat-hearted coward andmiser. ' "Simi clenched his hands, but suddenly thrust them into his pockets andlooked at the captain and the officers of the ship. "'This is no place for me, ' he again said in a low voice; 'come, Tavita, let us go, ' and without even raising his eyes to Karta and the threeother men he went out of the cabin. "That night he, Luisa, and I and my wife sat talking; and in the fulnessof her anger at the insults heaped upon her husband, Luisa told us ofsome things. "'This man Karta hateth both my sister and myself, as well as myhusband. He hateth me because that it was I whom he desired to marry, four years ago; but I feared him too much to become his wife, foreven in those days I knew him to be a drunkard and a gambler, and alicentious man. Then although she loved him not my sister Serena becamehis wife, for he was a man of good property, and promised to give overhis evil ways and be a good husband to her. And he hateth her and wouldgladly see her dead, for she hath borne him no children. He is forever flinging cruel words at her, and hath said to her before me that achildless man is a thing of scorn and disgrace even to the savage peopleof this island. And he makes no secret of his wickedness with otherwomen. That is why my sister Serena is dull and heavy-minded; for she iseaten up with grief and shame. ' "'That is true, ' said Simi, 'I have known this for a year past, forwhen he is drunk he cannot conceal his thoughts. And he is full of angeragainst me because I have nought in common with him. I am neither adrinker of grog nor a gambler, and have suffered from him what I wouldsuffer from no other man. I am no brawler, but yet 'tis hard to bear. ' ***** "Just as dawn came, and I was sunk in slumber, I heard a footstepoutside my door, and then Simi called to me. 'Bring thy wife to my housequickly, ' he said, 'evil work hath been done in the night. ' "My wife and I followed him, and when we entered we saw Luisa his wifekneeling beside a couch and weeping over Serena, who lay still and quietas if dead. "'Look, ' he said sternly, 'look what that devil hath done!' "He lifted Serena's left arm--the bone was broken in two places, aboveand below the elbow. "We set to work quickly, and fitting the broken bones in place we boundher arm up in stiff, smooth strips of the spathe of the cocoanut tree, and then washed and dressed her feet, which were cut and bleeding, forshe had walked barefooted, and clothed only in her night-dress, all theway from the north end of the island, which is nearly two leagues frommy house. "After she had drunk some coffee and eaten a little food she becamestronger, and told us all that had befallen her. "'Karta and the three other white men came back from the ship when itwas long past midnight, and I knew by the noise they made that they hadall been drinking grog. I heard them talking and laughing and sayingthat thou, Simi, were a paltry coward; and then one of them--he who iscalled Joe--said that he would one day end thee with a bullet and takeLuisa to wife, as so fine a woman deserved a better man than a cur fora husband. And Karta--Karta my husband--laughed and said that that couldnot be, for he meant to take thee, Luisa, for himself when he had riddenhimself of me. His shameless words stung me, and I wept silently as Ilay there, and pressed my hands to my ears to shut out their foul talkand blasphemies. "'Suddenly I heard my husband's voice as he rose from the table and cametowards the sleeping room. He threw open the door and bade me come outand put food before him and his friends. "'I rose at his bidding, for his face terrified me--it was the face ofa devil--and began to clothe myself. He tore the dress from my hands andcursed me, and bade me go as I stood. In my fear I sprang to the windowand tried to tear down the cane lattice-work so as to escape from thehouse and the shame he sought to put upon me. He seized me by the waistand tried to tear me away, but I was strong--strong with the strength ofa man. Then it was that he went mad, for he took up a heavy _paua_ stickand struck me twice on the arm. And had it not been that the otherwhite men came in and dragged him away from me, crying shame on him, andthrowing him down upon the floor, I would now be dead. "'I lay quiet for a little time and then rising to my feet looked outinto the big room, where the three men were still holding my husbanddown. One of them bade me run for my life, for Karta, he said, had gonemad with grog. "'I feared to seek aid from any of the natives, for they, too, dreadKarta at such times; so I walked and ran, sometimes along the beach, sometimes through the bush till I came here. That is all. ' * * * * * "That morning the head man in our village caused the shell to sound, {*}to call the people together so that they might hear from Simi the storyof the shame put upon his wife's sister and upon himself and his house. As the people gathered around the _moniep_{**} and the head men sat downinside, the captain of the ship came on shore, and great was his angerwhen he heard the tale. * A conch-shell. ** The council house. "'Let this poor woman come to my ship, ' he said; 'her life here is notsafe with such a man as that. For I know his utter vileness and crueltyto her. With me she shall be safe and well cared for, and if she sowishes she shall come with me to Fiji where my wife liveth, and her lifewill be a life of peace. ' "So Serena was put in the ship's boat, and Luisa went with her to remainon board till the ship sailed, which would be in three days. Then Simiand the head men talked together in the council house, and they made alaw and sent a message to Karta. This was the message they sent to him:'Because of the evil thou hast done and of the shame thou hast put uponthe sister of the wife of our white man, come no more to this town. Ifthou comest then will there be war between thy town and ours, and wewill burn the houses and harry and slay thee and the seven other whitemen, and all men of thy town who side with thee, and make slaves of thewomen and children. This is our last word. ' "A swift messenger was sent. Before the sun was in mid-heaven hereturned, crying out as he ran, 'War is the answer of Karta and hisvillage. War and death to Simi and to us all are his words; and toLuisa, the wife of the white man, he sendeth this message: "Prepare afeast for thy new husband, for he cometh to take thee away from one whocannot stand against him. "' "In those days there were seven hundred fighting men in our town, anda great clamour arose. Spears and clubs and muskets and hatchets wereseized, the armour of stout cinnet which covered a man from head to footwas put on, women filled baskets with smooth stones for the slings; andlong before sundown the warriors set out, with Simi and the head menleading them, to meet their enemies mid-way--at this very place where wenow sit. For this narrow strip of land hath been the fighting-ground ofPeru from the old, old times long before I was born, and my years arethree score and seven. "The night was dark, but Simi and his people, when they reached thisplace, some by land and some in canoes, lit great fires on the beachand dug trenches in the sand very quickly, behind which all those whocarried muskets were placed, to fire into the enemy's canoes as theypaddled along the narrow passage to the landing place. Karta and hiswhite friends and the people of their town had more than two hundredmuskets, whilst our village had less than fifty. But they were strong ofheart and waited eagerly for the fight. "Just before sunrise we saw them coming. There were over one hundredcanoes, each carrying five or six men. Karta and the beachcombers wereleading in a whaleboat, which was being rowed very swiftly. When withinrifle-shot she grounded. "As they leapt out of the boat, rifles in hand, they were followed bytheir natives, but our people fired a volley together, and two of thewhite men and many of their people fell dead in the shallow water. ThenSimi and twenty of our best men leapt out of their trenches and dashedinto the water to meet them. Karta was in advance of them all, and whenhe saw Simi he raised his rifle and fired. The bullet missed the whiteman but killed a native behind him. Then Karta, throwing away his rifle, took two pistols from his belt and shot twice at Simi who was now quiteclose to him. These bullets, too, did Simi no harm, for taking a steadyaim at his foe he shot him through the body, and as Karta fell upon hisside one of our people leapt on him and held his head under the watertill there was no more life in his wicked heart. "The fight was soon ended, for seeing three of their number killed soquickly, the rest of the white men ran back to their boat and tried tofloat her again; and then Simi, taking a shot-gun loaded with slugsfrom one of his men, ran up to them and shot dead the one named Joe. Theother white men he let escape, for all their followers were now paddlingoff or swimming to the other side of the lagoon, and Simi was no loverof bloodshed. "That day the people at the north end sent a message for peace, andpeace was made, for our people had lost but one man killed, so the thingwas ended well for us. "Serena came back from the ship, for now that Karta was dead she hadno fear. The three white men who were spared soon left Peru in awhale-ship, for they feared to remain. "Simi and his wife and children and Serena did not long stay with us, for he sold his house and boats to a new trader who came to the islandabout a month after the fight, and they went away to live at a place inFiji called Yasawa. They were very good to me and mine, and I was sorein my heart to see the ship sail away with them, and at night I feltvery lonely for a long time, knowing that I should see them no more. " THE BRASS GUN OF THE BUCCANEERS Challoner was a trader at Jakoits Harbour in Ponapé, one of theloveliest of the great Caroline Archipelago in the North Pacific. Hewas a quiet but determined-looking man of fifty, and at the time ofthis story had been living on Ponapé for over five years. Unlike thegenerality of the white men who were settled on the island, he nevercarried arms and never entered into any of the disputes that too oftenoccurred among them and ended in bloodshed. Many of his neighbours were scoundrels and ruffians of the deepestdye--deserters from whale-ships and men-of-war, or escaped criminalsfrom California and the Australian colonies. Some of these earned aliving by trading with the natives for turtle-shell and cocoanut oil, others were simply beachcombers, who attached themselves to the leadingchiefs and gave their services to them in war time, receiving in returnhouses and land, and spending their lives in time of peace in thewildest dissipation and excesses. In those days the American whaling fleet made Jakoits and the otherthree harbours on the beautiful island their rendezvous before sailingnorthward to the coasts of Japan and Siberia. Sometimes there would beas many as thirty ships arrive within a week of each other, carryingfrom thirty to forty hands each; and these, when given liberty by theircaptains, at once associated with the beachcombing element, and turnedan island paradise into a hell during their stay on shore. There was among these beachcombers a man named Larmer. He was ofHerculean stature and strength, and was, in a manner, their leader. Itwas his habit in his drunken moments to vaunt of the bloody deedswhich he had perpetrated during his crime-stained career in the PacificIslands. For the lives of natives he had absolutely no regard, andhad committed so many murders in the Gilbert Islands that he had beenforcibly taken on board a whaler by the few white men living there, andthreatened with instant death if he returned. The whaleship landed him on Ponapé, and his presence soon became acurse. Being possessed of plenty of arms and ammunition, he soon gainedthe friendship of a native chief ruling over the western district of theisland, and his savage nature at once showed itself by his offering todestroy the inhabitants of a little island named Pàkin, who had in someway offended this chief. His offer was accepted, and, accompanied byfive ruffianly whites and some hundreds of natives, the unfortunatepeople were surprised and butchered. Elated with this achievement, Larmer returned to Ponapé, and, during the orgy which took place tocelebrate the massacre, he shot dead one of his white companions who haddispleased him over some trifling matter. The news was brought by a native to Challoner, who with a fellow-traderand several local chiefs was sitting outside his house smoking andenjoying the cool of the evening, and watching the flashing torches ofa number of canoes catching flying fish beyond the barrier reef. Neitherof them felt surprised, and Challoner remarked to the native that it wasgood to know that one bad and useless man was dead, but that it would bebetter still to hear that the man who slaughtered a whole community incold blood was dead also. "I wouldn't have said that if I were you, " said Dawson, the othertrader, nervously; "that fellow Larmer is bound to hear of it. " "I am quite prepared, " Challoner replied quietly, "as you know, Dawson. Things cannot go on like this. I have never killed a man in my life, butto kill such a brute as Larmer would be a good action. " The distance between Challoner's place and Kiti, where Larmer dwelt withhis villainous associates, was but ten miles. Yet, although Larmer hadnow been living on the island for a year, Challoner had only once metand spoken to him. ***** During a visit which he (Challoner) had made to a little harbour calledMetalanim, he had explored some very ancient ruins there, whichwere generally believed by the white uneducated traders to have beenconstructed by the old buccaneers, though the most learned antiquariansconfess themselves puzzled to solve the mystery of their existence. Butthat these ruins had been used as a _depot_ or refuge of some sort bythose who sailed the North Pacific more than two hundred years ago wasevident, for many traces of their occupancy by Europeans had been foundby the few white men who had visited them. It was Challoner's fortune to discover amid the mass of tangled vinesand creepers that grew all over the walls, and even down in the curiouschambers, an old brass cannon. With the aid of some of his nativefriends he succeeded in dragging it forth and conveying it in his boatto his house, where, upon cleaning it, he found it bore the Spanisharms over the date of its casting in Manila, in the year 1716. Muchinterested in this, he refused to sell the gun to several whaleshipcaptains, who each wanted to buy it. He would sell it, he thought, tobetter advantage by sending it to Australia or Europe. Soon after its discovery he had set his people to work to clean andpolish it One day he saw coming towards him a man, who from his hugefigure he knew must be Larmer, the beachcomber. "I say, boss, " said the man roughly, "let's have a look at that cannonyou've found, will yar?" "There it is, " said Challoner quietly, pointing to his boat-house, butnot deigning to accompany the beachcomber and show him the weapon. Larmer made a brief but keen inspection, and then walked into thetrader's room and, unasked, sat down. "It's as good as new, " he said. "What do you want for it?" "I will not sell it, " replied the trader coldly, eyeing the beachcombersteadily, "at least to no one in Ponapé. There is too free a display ofand use of arms here as it is, " and he looked pointedly at the brace ofheavy Colt's revolvers in his visitor's belt. A scowl darkened Larmer's face. "I'll give you a hundred dollars forthe thing, " he said. "I want it, and I mean to have it" And he rose anddashed his huge hand down upon the table. Challoner was unarmed, but his face betrayed neither fear nor any otheremotion. He was standing with his back to the doorway of his bedroom. A thick curtain of navy blue calico concealed the interior of this roomfrom the view of any one in the living room, and Larmer had seen no onebut the trader about. For some few seconds there was silence; the beachcomber, with hisclenched fist still on the table, was trying to discover whether the manbefore him was intimidated. Challoner stood unmoved. "Yes, " began Larmer again, "I want that cannon. Sru, the chief of Kiti, an' me is going on a little war-party again. But I'll pay you for it. " "And I tell you that I won't sell it. Least of all to a man like you, who would use it for murder. " The beachcomber's hand went to his belt--and stayed there, as the traderstepped aside from the doorway and he saw a rifle pointed at his heart. It was held by the trader's wife. "Put up your hands, " said Challoner, with a contemptuous laugh. "Andnow listen to me. I want no quarrel with you--don't force one on me. Nowclear out. " Without a word the baffled man turned away. But the look of savagehatred that gleamed in his fierce eyes told Challoner that he had madea dangerous enemy. And only a few days passed before he heard from thenatives that Larmer said he would have his revenge--and the brass gun aswell--before many months were over. But the trader, though apparently taking no heed, was yet watchful. Hisinfluence with the natives of the Jakoits district was great, for theyboth liked and trusted him as a just and honourable man, and he knewthat they would rally round him if Larmer attempted either to carry offthe gun or do harm to him. For some months matters went on at Jakoits very quietly, and the last ofthe whaling fleet having sailed, Challoner and Dawson went about theirusual work again, such as trading along the coast in their whaleboatsand storing their cocoanut oil in readiness for the _Mocassin_, thetrading ship which visited them once a year, and was now due. Although living only a few miles apart from each other, the two did notvery often meet, but Challoner was one day surprised to see Dawson'sboat pulling into the beach, for he had had a visit from his friend onlythe previous evening. The moment the boat touched the sand Dawson jumpedout, and Challoner at once saw by the anxious expression on his facethat something was wrong. He soon learnt Dawson's news, which was bad enough. The _Mocassin_had run ashore in the night at a place five miles away from Dawson'svillage, and it was feared she would become a total wreck unless shecould be lightened and floated over the reef into smooth water. Thecaptain had sent an urgent message for aid, and in less than half anhour the two men were on their way to the wreck, accompanied by nearlyevery male native in Challoner's village. Towards sunset on the following day, just as the boats were in sight, returning from the wreck, Tiaru, the trader's wife, with her one childand some of her female relatives, were coming from their bathe inthe sea, when they heard screams from the village, and presently someterrified women fled past them, calling out that Larmer and anotherwhite man and a number of their native allies were carrying away thebrass gun. In an instant the young wife gave the babe to a woman nearher, and darted towards her husband's house. A number of women andchildren, encouraged by her presence, ran to alarm the approachingboats. In front of the trader's house Larmer and another beachcomber weredirecting a score of Kiti natives how to sling the heavy gun between twostout poles. A sentry stood on guard at the gate of Challoner's fence, but Tiaru dashed his crossed musket aside, and then sprang into themidst of her husband's enemies. "Set down the gun, " she panted indignantly, "ye coward men of Rôan Kiti, and ye white men thieves, who only dare to come and steal when there arebut women to meet and fight with thee. " Larmer laughed. "Get out o' this, you meddling fool, " he said in English, and then, calling to the natives to hasten ere it grew dark, he took no furthernotice of the woman before him. Then, as they prepared to raise theirburden by a united effort upon their naked shoulders, Tiaru spranginto the house and quickly reappeared with a heavy knife in her hand. Twisting her lithe body from the grasp of one of the beachcombers, withflaming eyes she burst in amongst the gun carriers and began slashing atthe strips of green bark with which the cannon was lashed to the poles. "Curse you!" said Larmer fiercely, striding forward and seizing her byher long hair. "Take away her knife, Watty, quick!" And he dragged herhead back with brutal strength--to release his hold with a cry of savagefury as the woman turned upon him and with a swift stroke severed thefingers of his left hand. Again she raised her hand as Larmer drew apistol and shot her through the body. She fell without a cry upon thegun beneath. "By ------, you've done it now!" said the man Watty. "Look there! There's all our natives running away. We're as goodas dead men if we stay here five minutes longer. I'm off anyway"; andthen, hurriedly binding up his companion's bleeding hand, he disappearedinto the surrounding forest after his native allies. For a few moments Larmer stood irresolute, looking first at the body ofthe woman lying across the gun, then at his wounded hand. Already theshouts of Challoner's natives sounded near, and he knew that the boatshad reached the beach. The gun, which had cost him so dear, must beabandoned, but he would take a further revenge upon its owner. He ranquickly to a fire which burned dimly in Challoner's cooking-house, lita bunch of dried palm leaves, and thrust it into the thatch of thedwelling-house. Then he struck into the jungle. As Challoner, followed by Dawson and the men of Jakoits village, rushedalong the narrow path that led to his house, they heard the roar andcrackle of the flames; when they gained the open they saw the brightlight shining on the old cannon, whose polished brass was stained andstreaked with red. Tiaru lay across the breech, dead. ***** For nearly two days Challoner and his natives followed the tracks ofthe murderer into the heart of the mountain forest of Ponapé. Dawsonand another party had left early the same night for the Rôan Kiti coast, where they landed and formed a cordon, which it would be impossible forLarmer to pass. Watty, his fellow-scoundrel, was captured early next morning. He hadlost his way and was lying asleep beside a fire on the banks of a smallstream. He was promptly shot by Dawson. Larmer was to be taken alive. Meanwhile Challoner and his men pressed steadily on, driving their preybefore them. At noon on the second day they caught sight of his hugefigure ascending a rocky spur, and a party of natives ran swiftly to itsbase and hid at the margin of a small, deep pool. Challoner knew thathis man wanted a drink, and would soon descend the spur to get it. For some hours not a sound broke the silence, then a stone rolleddown, and presently Larmer's head appeared above a boulder. He lookedcarefully round, and then, finding all quiet, began the descent. On thevery edge of the pool he again stopped and listened, holding his pistolat full cock. His left hand was slung to his chest by a piece of greenhibiscus bark, which was passed round his neck and roughly tied. The silence all around him was reassuring, but he still held out thepistol as he bent his knees to drink. Ere his lips could touch the watertwo half-naked figures sprang upon him and bore him down. He was tooweak to resist. "Do not bind him, " said Challoner, "but tie his right hand behind hisback. " Larmer turned his bloodshot eyes upon the trader, but said nothing. "Give him a drink. " A native placed a gourd of water to his lips. He drank greedily. Then, in silence, Challoner and his men began their march back. ***** At sunset the people of Jakoits gathered together in front of theblackened space whereon the trader's house had stood. Raised on fourheavy blocks of stone was the still blood-stained cannon, and bound withhis back to its muzzle was Larmer. Challoner made a sign, the brown-skinned men and women moved quicklyapart in two parties, one on each side of the gun. Then Rul, the chiefof the Jakoits* village, advanced with a lighted stick, touched thepriming, and sprang aside. A sheet of flame leaped out, a bursting roarpealed through the leafy forest aisles, and Challoner had avenged hismurdered wife.