beyond the door. Tommy barked and Bickley stepped towards it, but
I called to him.

"Look out! Where there are women there are sure to be men. Let
us be ready against accidents."

So we armed ourselves with pistols, that is Bickley and I did,
Bastin being fortified solely with a Bible.

Then we advanced, a remarkable and dilapidated trio, and
dragged the door wide. Instantly there was a scurry and we caught
sight of women's forms wearing only flowers, and but few of
these, running over white sand towards groups of men armed with
odd-looking clubs, some of which were fashioned to the shapes of
swords and spears. To make an impression I fired two shots with
my revolver into the air, whereupon both men and women fled into
groves of trees and vanished.

"They don't seem to be accustomed to white people," said
Bickley. "Is it possible that we have found a shore upon which no
missionary has set a foot?"

"I hope so," said Bastin, "seeing that unworthy as I am, then
the opportunities for me would be very great."

We stood still and looked about us. This was what we saw. All
the after part of the ship from forward of the bridge had
vanished utterly; there was not a trace of it; she had as it were
been cut in two. More, we were some considerable distance from
the sea which was still raging over a quarter of a mile away