“It’s a bargain—­just the thing that my crowd could tackle and carry through themselves.  Two voyages ago me and my beauties wiped out every living soul on one of the Cartaret’s Islands.  I’ll tell you the yarn some day.  But look here, king, can’t we make another deal about the women and children.  Let me keep as many of them as I have room for aboard, and I’ll pay for them in muskets and powder and bullets.”

“What do you want with them?”

“Sell them to old Abba Dul, the king of the Pelews.  I’ve done business with him before.”

Charlik called Kanka over to him, and the two spoke in low tones.  Then the young ruler of Lele shook his head.

“No.  There must be but one left to live—­the white man’s wife.  Now we shall count this money.”

The boxes were carried over directly under the rays of the lamps and opened, the bags containing the money lifted out, the coins counted, and then evenly divided between the two wolves.

On the following morning the casks of oil were rolled down to the beach and rafted off to the two ships, and before dawn, on the fourth day, Ross and his fellow-ruffian sent word ashore to the king that all was ready, and that he and his fighting men could come on board at once and proceed on their dreadful mission.

CHAPTER II

As the two captains and their ferocious young employer sat on the snow-white poop of the Iroquois and discussed the plan of attack, the ship and barque kept closely together, so closely that North, who had not yet placed foot on board the sandalwooder, had now an opportunity of looking down upon her decks, and watching the actions of those who manned her.  A more ragged and desperate looking lot of ruffians he had never seen in his life; and their wild, unkempt appearance was in perfect accord with the Lucy May herself, whose dirty, yellow sides were stained from stem to stern with long streaks and broad patches of iron-rust.  Aloft she was in as equally a bad condition, and North and his fellow-officers, used to the trimness and unceasing care of a whaleship’s sails and running gear, looked with contempt at the disorder and neglect everywhere visible.  On deck, however, some attempt at setting things ship-shape were being made by the two mates and boatswain, the six guns were being overhauled, and a pile of muskets lying on the main hatch were being examined and passed up to the poop one by one, to old Kanka, who was in command of the contingent of Lele natives on board the barque.  Similar preparations with small arms were being made on board the Iroquois by her crew which, largely composed of Chilenos, Portuguese, and Polynesians, had eagerly accepted the offer of twenty dollars for each man for a few hours’ fighting.  North alone had spoken against and tried to dissuade his fellow-officers from taking any active part in the expedition, but his remonstrances