f dismay went up from the sailors as the yacht almost grazed some huge black rock or scraped a coral reef. But the passage was negotiat

cable roared out of the hawser holes with a sav

r. Jukes of Captain Sparhawk, as soon

s the reply. "But it looks to me as if

l islands?" aske

ure. Islands are sown pretty thic

u people cannib

ms to the landing party. We want to run no risks. I shall also put a guard on the ship, for thes

ll come in handy th

conspicuous place so if any of the gentry ashore have any rascally

Mr. Jukes, who remained on board, was unwilling that they take the risk of a hostile attack, but at last h

ordered the captain, as they shoved off, "and

ling and shrieking above the island and the sea ran rather high. The inc

ense foliage, among which could be seen the huge fronds of the banana, and broad-leaved breadfruit trees grew almost down

sign of a village he

other side of the is

nd see what we can find," decided th

f anything out of the way occurred. The party in search of the village was

ry the rifles

them as much as possibl

-gun with a man stationed beside it. The gun was trained on the shore ready for instant use against any possible attack. After traversing a short distance t

ner peculiar to most savage trails whose makers would rather go round an obstacle than clear it out of the way. There was a gloomy sky overhead and the

hich towered up steeply on each side of the track. This canyon appeared

anana he had picked from a bush at the side of the trail. Others of the party were munching on oranges and a fruit the captain ca

igh cost of living need never wor

ntent to be vegeta

d the captain, "the seas hereabou

oats, half-wild creatures, with wonderfully agile legs, leaped up the sides of the

ept pork," said the captain; "in fact, the cannibals pay the

eating human flesh had all but died out in the South Seas, except in some remote islands, they did not know but the one they were exploring might pro

arted suddenly in front of the la

ed with red and white paint, suddenly glared