"STAR" TALES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9954, 16 September 1910, Page 4

"STAR" TALES.

THE DUCHESS AND SALEM . TARR. " : (By HENRY C. ROWLAND.) The auxiliary steam yaclit of the Grand Duke struck the reef at full speed, and the bow-end of her shut up like an accordion. The next big roller ■lifted the yacht's long hull and broke her back across the reef, whon the following swell carried the two separate fragments clean over and smothered them in the deep water on the other bide.

All of this had taken only the time required by three full-grown' South Pacific surges to arrive from their long journey. Set in motion by a circular storm which was buzzing around far to the southward, they had humped themj solves in a leisurely manner to the north, gradually widening the interval between them as they travelled. Y.Tien they readied the reef they were at least 'half a mile apart, and it was the inter- ' val thus afforded between each heave .which gave the Grand Duchess time enough to rush on deck in a richly embroidered kimono. | There had been waterspouts in the •vicinity that afternoon, and at the time of the accident the rain was falling as though from an inverted lake. It .was the roar of this deluge on the decks as much as the .roar of the vodka in his ears which had kept the officer on the ' ,bridge from hearing the breakers. One could scarcely see farther than might a ; - • diver at his work. That the yacht was off her course was due to a strong combination of cognac, carelessness and currents^

I What occurred immediately after the .Grand Duchess had reached the deck •"'• (was like a sleight-of-hand trick on the ■;-. part of Poseidon. When the long hull was wrenched in two across the reef, a. number of things happened. The foremast fell straight aft, ripping away the shrouds on the starboard side and just missing a small teak deck-house, the '..water-tight door of. which was doublebolted and the port-holes snugly clamp- : ed. The next instant the hull parted just under this little box, which clung , : * .tottering, fastened by one edge to the .forward fragment, but almost at the same second the foremast swung against it, tore it loose and knocked it into the -, sea, where it floated capsized like an empty bin. Before it could drift clear, , ; the third billow, which finished up the job, swept across the sinking alter fragment, and, with the accomplishof sundry other details, knocked the Grand Duchess bead first into the deck- ■ house, where she lay stunned and 'senseless, whilo what was left of the yacht sank like scrap-iron, ami the sharks which swarmed about the reef .' '' , took charge of the few men struggling in the sea. As for his Royal Highness the Grand Duke, it is to*be presumed that he awoke in another world, as he was far too full of strong waters to have been juyakened in this for several hours to :orne. The wind squall which brought up the shower drove the buoyant deck-house rapidly toward the beach. The big box negotiated a mile or two of spouting surf as no whaleboat could ever have done, and if at any time the duchess was in danger of being drowned it was only by the deluge of vain falling into her prison. In over the frothing shoal * spun and eddied' the gyrating piece of dock furniture, hearing triumphantly to the beach of the island a nearly naked and unconscious woman of whom the brilliant future, the wit and loveliness and sweetly gracious charm were the pride and glory of a great Empire, j Straight to the beach spun the box, and there, feeling no doubt that its duty was accomplished, it grounded and tumbled her out head over heels in about a foot of water. The wash from a big breaker was more courteous and carried the lovely figure well up on the pearlv sand, which was just beginning to glow in the first promise of sunrise. Tho next wave spread the glorious , :auburn hair of the duchess modestly: over her bosom, and very decently tucked the gown about her knees, then left her, still unconscious, sleeping ; peacefully, her pale cheek pillowed on

her arm. . The deck-house, having landed its passenger, became the toy of the surl , and was spun and tossed and bumped j ■•' • along the beach until carried by the •" ebbing tide around the point of the ; island and away to the sea. Other Boating objects from the wreck, offering . less wind-surface, never touched the island at all, but were swept along the reef, -which extended for miles. So j that of all the flotsam and jetsam from I the wreck of the royal yacht the only ! object saved was the favourite niece of ' the Emperor, sleeping quietly on the, sand in her richly embroidered kimono, j Salem Tar'r, liarpooner, late of tho | 1 ivhaler Alice Stocton of New Bedford, : was taking advantage of the ebb tide ! to hunt a mess of prawns for breakfast, •when his keen grey eye sighted .something which" flashed a rosy-pink against i the sunrise. | A simple "sailorman was Salem, but i one might have taken him for a youth- | fill pagan demi-god could one have seen - him pacing the roseate sands in tho dewy tropic morning. ; ■ Lost from the Alice Stocton in a galo which had come with a; preliminary squall while towing behind a great bull cachalot, Salem alone of the boat's crew was hardy enough to weather out the fearful following days. Carried j by the ocean drift to the island, he had been too weak to handle the boat, ( which had been ground to splinters on the reef. Salem, lashed to the empty Water-breaker, had been swept bodily aver and stranded on the beach unhurt. He had been ten months upon the island, during which time he. bad Been several ships on tho. horizon, but none ever came near enough to sight his signals.

Meantime he had occupied his mind and body, caring for himself witli all the ingenuity of "his race. The climate was kindly. The island, though small nnd uninhabited, provided iish and fruit and turtles' eggs and a few goats. Salem had caught several turtles, and had built for them a pen of stakes on the edge of the.lagoon. The sailor had suffered only from his isolation, but one would scarcely have said that he ! suffered at all, could one have seen | him as he walked the water's edge, his figure straight and lithe, marvellously thewed and muscled, yet with the grace and lightness of youth and sun-tanned bo the colour of rosewood. The rising svtn set his long shadow dancing before him as ho hurried towards the bright object on the beach, and as he drew near to it his bushy eyebrows knit over his alert eyes. i A woman? Impossible! Some seaBymph, perhaps, . . . or angel . . . but surely no mortal creature! .Whence had she come, and how? His Bailor's eyes swept in swift questioning] towards the sea, then along the gleaming boach. There was nothing to solve tho riddle. Salem dropped to his knees and laid "Ais hand over the woman's heart. (Jod- , dess or mortal, she appeared in evil case. But his own pulse responded tujmultuously as he felt the faintest of ■flutters beneath his palm. Awe possessed him, and ho looked towards tho gea, for his sailor's knowledge told him

the impossibility of any living creature gaining the shore alive and unsupported by seine buoyant object. Yankee practicality supplanted rain conjecture. The equatorial sun was climbing rapidly higher, and soon the dHicato rays would grow fierce and merciless. With a deep flush in his cheeks he stooped and gathered the lovely hody in his arms. Goddess, sea-nymph, woman, whatever .she was, Salem found her no light burden, even for his elastic strength, but he did not halt until he had reached his shelter, a basketlike structure built in a palm grove behind the beach and near a little spring which burst from the steep hillside. There he laid her on the couch of plaited palm, covering her with a mat such as he had learned to weave from the natives of Roa-pua. Satisfied that aII was well with his guest he went out to milk a she-goat which, with her kid, he had captured a few days before. The sailor was gently pouring the. warm milk between the woman's lips when her eyelids fluttered and the long lashes swept up. Two fathomless eyes of a deep violet looked vaguely out and then the eyelids closed again. Bub soon they reopened, to study with a calm, deliberate gaze the face of the man. "Feelin' a little hotter, ma'am?" he asked in a voice husky from disuse. The woman stared at him without answering. Her lips quivered but seemed unable to articulate. "Don't try to talk none," said Salem, gently. "Wait 'til ye rest up a snell." The bewildered look in the lovely face deepened. "' It's all right," ma'am." said the sailor, soothingly. "Jos' you sleep and 3'est." ■ Her broad forehead contracted. Salem stroked it gently with sinewy hand, framed for the hauling of heavy ropes and to close on the haft of a weapon. Soon the woman's even breathing showed that she had fallen into a deep, refreshing sleep. "When the duchess awoke it was to full consciousness and recollection. Salem, sitting beside her, was sewing busily when ho heard a startled cry". The duchess had raised her head and was staring wildly about her. _" Feelin' better, ma'am?" asked the sailor, cheerfully. She gave him a bewildered look, then answered in'pure hut slightly accented English: " The yacht! The yacht of my husband, the Grand Duke Dimitri." Salem regarded her keenly. " Sj> 't'was a yacht," he said. " Yes," she answered breathlessly. "It was early this morning. I was wakened by a frightful crash—and rushcd_ on deck. The rain was coming down in torrents, a deluge. Then a preat wave swept me off—and that is all that J remember."

Salem had risen to his feet and was regarding her with pity. "I'm a feared, ma'am."' said ho. slowly, " that tha'ar ain't much more to tell. If your yacht hit the reef with this swell that's been a-runnin' for the last three days " be shook his head. "Do you mean that all have been lost? Was no one else saved?" Her blue eyes were rilled with horror.

'■' She must ha' gone down with all hand*. ma'am." Salem answered, gently. "The tide was runnm ebb and carried all the dunnage along the reef and out to sea. How you fetched up here will alius bo a- mystery, 1 reckon. I found you on the beach, and that's all I know. But I'm pow'ful sorry for you, ma'am; I am indeed!" The duchess covered her eyes with her bauds and lay for some minutes without speaking. Salem became anxious. "Me and you, ma'am," said he, " are tho only two human critters on this hull island. I was cast away in a whale-boat and drifted ashore fa'ast to the boat breaker. But 'faint sech a bad place, ma'am/" he added, comfortingly. The duchess let her hands fall and gazed at the sailor as if observing him for the first time. Her eyes rested with wonder on the splendid pagan figure, then lifted to tho strong, kindly fa.ee with its frank, boyish expression. "How long have you been here, my good man?" she asked. The slightest flicker appeared in Salem's eyes. " Two hundred and ninety days, ma'am," he answered. "I've notched 'em off on this centre pole. You see —ten and tally, ten, and tally. . ."

"But that is nearly ten months! Have there been no ships here in that time?"

'' Well, ma'am," said Salem, gently, "this is a kind o' out the way place mild tha'nr's reefs all 'round, so vessels gives it a wide berth. But some'tin's bound to come here by and by."

Swift, frantic terror was stamped on the face of the duchess. For a moment her eyes were wild, and she was swept by an impulse to leap to her feet fl'nd run screaming down the beach and straight out into the smiling, sneering t-ea. Salem, watching her closely, understood.

But a high courage dwelt in the proud spirit of the duchess, and directly she rallied her forces, drew a deep breath and turned to Salem a brave face, albeit pale and with dark circles under the eyes. " One .must turn against Fortune a good heart, must one not, my lad?" said she, and added as though to herself;" At least, I am rid cf that drunken boast!"

" What, ma'am?" asked Salem, so naively that the woman looked at him and laughed outright. "I was talking to myself. Tt occurred to me that my misfortune was not so great, after all, since I am rid of my husband, the Grand Duke!'' Salem stand at her with a look of such shocked and startled amazement that she broke into a slightly hysterical. iaugJi. "That sounds very wicked to you, does it not? But you see, he was such n brute' Once, or twice I have wanted to leap into the sea !" Salem shook his head.

" 0' course, ma'am," he replied, "a ma'a 11 that uses too much liquor and acts rough-like to his wimmen folks ain't much account, no matter if he's a dook or a foremast hand. But jes' the same"—he shook his head again, thou pushed tho wavy chestnut hair from his eyes—" 't'ain't right that you shud rej'ice in his be in' drownded, the more so, him bein' your lawful husband !" The blue eyes of tho duchess opened fevy wide and an angry colour rose to her cheeks. "Indeed!"' she cried, fiercely. "Then let mo tell you, my good fellow, that 1 do rejoice, and would still rejoice, were bo ten times n:y husband and drowned twenty times as deep! And who are you to try to reprove me? Do not forget, my poor lad, that you/ are talking to the Grand Duchess Christina !" Salem's grey eyes seemed to grow lighter as tho blood rose under his swarthy skin. " If 't'wa'aut that you was a pore female struck adrift on a uninhabited island," he said slowly, "I'd p'int out sevrul things. But bein' that you're my comp'ny, like, I'll only state that

J am a free born American citizen and don't hold no.ie with kings and dooks and sich, They ain't none oi : 'oin n, patcli r.n oar Presid'nt. So tha'ar! But if I've hurted your feelin's, ma'am, I'm right sorry and beg your pardon And now, sence you can't go 'round like- you landed here"—he blushed—" I'll get to work at my •sewin' TOjen. I've .some kid-skins here I tanned nice- and soil, and I cai'Late to tix \ou up a skirt." He seated himself and gravely resumed his- needlework. The duchess watched him in silence as with the deft, i«pid h!itches of a sailor he sewed f:way at the garment in his hand. Presently, curiosity overcame the royal sulks. '' '.Ykat in the world are you doing:?'' she asked. Salem held up the toft fabric' and looked at her over the top. " A skirt, ma'am. 'T'aiu't very long nor so stylish as it might he, but it's nice and soft. I cut the ha'ar off with wood-ashes and water and then worked :t 'til it's jes' like shammy. Here's a blouso 1 made some time ago. You jnight put it on." He handed her a garment of beautifully dressed kid, neatly stitched with banana fibre. ' Somewhat dazed, the duchess slipped it on over her head, then looked at him wonderingly. Salem calmly resumed his needlework. .'"'This here island ain't such a. bad place," went on the sailor, conversationally. "Fust off it was pow'ful lonesome-like, but I tuk to pra'ar, and that helped a heap." '•Took to what?"

"I tuk to prayin' out loud, so's to kinder keep my v'ire in emission. Every mornin' and cvenin', I prayed a spell. Done mo good, tew. I never been a sinful man as sailors go. but sometimes T've thought that niebbe the Lord A'mighty novo mo up here to bring me Higher Him." He bit off tho end of his thread and gave tho duchess a reflective look from his stead v eves. " Mobbo He meant the same for yoii !"■ Tho duchess stared. /"Po you think that I look like a wicked poison?" she demanded. "No," said Salem, "but what, yon jes' said about your husband ain't o'rrect. I've alius beam tell that dooks and earls and sich like was a pow'ful bad lot. Comes o' tew much luxury, I reckon/ Wa'al V—he gave her a delightfully frank and boyish smile that showed his strong white teeth—"you won't find much o' that here !"

The duchess smiled, despite herself. " How old are you?'' she asked. " Twenty-four, come 7»lay. You about the same, ain't ye?" " A year older." "Yes? Wa'al, all this won't hurt you none, I reckon. Now I'll cook jou up a mess o' fish. You need somethin' solidcr : n goat's milk after your duckin' and all." He rose lightly to his feet, collected a handful of dried leaves, then took from some recess a clasp-knife. a jagged piece of flint and some dry pith. Holding the latter in the hollow of his hand he struck the (lint a glancing blow with tho back of the closed blade and sent a spark hissing into the pith, then covered it with dried leaves which he blew into a blaze. " T do most o ! my cookin' in a little mud oven." said he, with another of his. flashing smiles, and carefully cherishing his fire he turned and strode lightly from tho hut.

A fortnight passed, and the two whom fate had fco strangely cut off together from the moving world, were come to a state of mutual respect and friendliness and admiration, Just as the sailor had shown himself to his fellow-prisoner upon the day of her arrival, so had he remained. Calm and kindly, cheerful, yet with a high native dignity, he had thought of her wants in advance, preferring her always to himself, toiling for her greater comfort while she dozed through the heat of the tropic day. Always polite, respectful, yet quietly oblivious to any difference in their caste, she found in him a new and marvellous manner of individual. In the fits of despair which from time to time swept over her he had offered his rough but satisfying consolation, amusing her with his quaint tales or with instinctive wisdom, setting her to some light task. When sometimes her nerves swept her into fits of royal impatience he met them with his frank smile and quizzical expression. To her astonishment she discovered that in argument, his untutored mind oft triumphed over her finely cultured one.

Especially was this tho case when the subject was that of caste, distinction.

"If you are honest and kind and ain't selfish or cowardly or sneakin'," Salon! one day observed, "what pore critter of a king i« better'u what you arc? He's got power and money and the, like o' that, hut why shouldn't he, bein' a.s he was born a king?" "But he has education!" exclaimed • the duchess. '' Meanin' that he knows more? I don't b'liove it. What he knows is din"rent, that's all. Tha'ar ain't nary ;i crowned head in the. hull b'llin' cud show me how to reef a ta.wps'l 'r steer a. ship or dart a iron into a whale." " But a gentleman is certainly superior in many ways to a sailor!" Salem's grev eves opened wide. "How von'talk! Ain't 1 a gentleman, .I'd * like t'know ! And I'm a sailor, tew !" "You wouldn't know how to behave in polite society!" she cried, viciously. "Meanin'. mebbe, that I'd eat with my knife and drink my soup out o' the bowl and tie my napkin "'rou,ud my neck, 'stid o' tuckin' it into my collar, all ship-shape and proper? P'raps so. But what's that? Good manners, ain't it? But t'other hand I wouldn't pit drunk 't say things that wasn't nice 'r cheat at cards and the like o' that, and that's manners, tew! Jos' a pint o' view! Would the Grand Dook knowed how to git him some clay and mix it with goat's ha'ar and make a bowl to drink his soup out of, if he'd been struck adrift here? From all you tell me 'bout him I reckon that knowm' he was a grand dook he'd made you wait on him. 'stid o' his waitvn' on you! Or mebbe his first act would, ha' bin to ferment a gallon o' cocoanut juice and make brandy, then lay around drunk all day!" There was not very much for the duchess to reply to this. She knew that if tho Grand Duke had not adopted this measure it would have been because he lacked the ingenuity to think of it and the cleverness to carry it out. One dav they climbed to the summit of the extinct crater near the centre, of tho island and there seated themselves in the shade of a tree and looked out across the encircling sea. A maze of reefs surrounded the island on three sides, while, on the fourth the deep water came in to the sheer rocks against which great surges thundered unceasingly, while the sea-birds wove intricate' 'figures with the spouting spray. "You c'n see, ma'am,'' said Salem, finally, "this hero island ain't much of a place to land on. Them reefs crop out f'r miles and miles, as you c'n tell by the patches o' white water. In one way it's lucky, ems the natives o' these islands in Melanesia ain't so friendly as what they might be." The duchess did not answer, but looked out with dreamy eyes. A wild but lovely picture she made, clad throughout jn the picturesque garments of dressed kid made by the sailor, with blouse, and kilts, and sandals and gaiters almost to her bare knees. On her head was a little, conical cap of plaited palm, and her auburn hair fell between her shoulders in a single, heavy braid. Salem had even ornamented the costume with cunning sailor embroideries, and the blouse was ornate with buttons of deep-hued shells. Suddenly the duchess turned from her reverie to look at her companion. The sailor was standing at her shoulder, his hands crossed on the head of his neolithic mace and his clear grey eyes fixed thoughtfully on the expanse of ocean. Far on the 'horizon the faint blue outline of another island was dimly visible against the turquoise sky. " What if no one should ever come?" asked the duchess, in a low, tremulous voice. " What if we should be doomed to spend the rest of our lives here upon this island?" Salem looked at her for a moment in silence, tlien shook his head. " 'Tain't likely, ma'am," he answered. "There's nary a spot in all this Pacific Ocean that someone doesn't visit, sonic time or other. There's the survey people, comin' to c'rrect tho charts, and traders and pearlers and men-o'-war a-hunt.in' fer castaways like. us. Somebody's bound to come." "But what if nobody should?" she persisted, looking at him aslant. Salem looked at her again and his grey eyes kindled. Wa'al, ma'am," ho answered, "in that case I spend the rest o'" my days ill carin' for you, and try in' to make you as contented-iike as may be." The duchess dropped her eyes. "And I?" r,he asked, in a low voice. "You," answered the sailor, "must try to remember that all is the will o' the A'niighty, and try to be content as you can."

tor several moments the duchess did not speak. Then said she, musingly : "How wonderful it is! To think that 1 am royalty and you a sailor! Yet here on this island all is levelled. AVe might lie equals- the Grand Duchess and the sailor, the peasant." Salem frowned and his face hardened. " I'm a sailor," he answered, '•but I'm a native-born American citizen. I'm no peasant. We don't have 'em in my country. Look a-here. ma'am; I end he President of the- United States, so fur as what I am is consarned. S'pose T was; then I'd be the equal of your lOmp'ror, wouldn't IP And if I went around the world afterwards, like what General Grant did. all them kings in furrin' parts would he proud to shake my hand and ask me to dinner and interjooce mo to the- queens-dike they done with General (-rant, wouldn't thev?"

The duchess shrugged. " I presume sc." she answered.

"Wa'al, th<-n.'' said Salem, "why ain't I your equal?" " If you consider yourself my equal," retorted the duchess. " why do you alwa.ys wait on mo and call me ' ma'am ' ?"' Salem raised his bushv evebrows.

" 'Cause you're a lady," he answered. " Xo man's too good to wait on a lady and treat her with respec'. If you said the word, I'd call you 'Christina'." Tho colour «\vijpt into the lovely face of the duchess. Then her expression softened and sho threw out her hands. " Very well." said she. in a breathless voice, " you may call me Christina." She looked up at him, when their eyes met, and a sudden flame blazed from those of the sailor. Just a, flash, and it was gone'again. " Right-o!'' said he. then gave a shy laugh and added: "Tho sun is get tin' low ; I reckon we'd better start back— Christina." From that hour be called her nothing but Christina. Yet, barring this familiarity in the matter of her name, Salem's attitude never swerved from its quiet courtesy, and the duchess marvelled greatly. Sho knew her charm, her loveliness, her magnetism, while the virile masculinity of the man shone from him at times with the pulsing waves that come from a tempered blade in the sunshine. She half expected that, accepting her on an equal social plane.- his deference, would wear, itself away. Hut day followed day and never once did Salem infringe upon the close relationship in which fate had thrown them by so much as an unspoken thought. He never spoke of her beauty, her attraction, and if their hands ever touched when he gave her aid of some sort the contact was as cool and well contained as a gourd

of pure water from the spring. Vaguely, tho duchess began to understand that with some natures emotions themselves might be as disciplined a« speed) and action. Xever had she found this so- in tlie. European men. of her own greater world, and she could not understand. It was very rarely that a spark flew wide, yet this had happened, and the scintillating particle thrilled the abundant nature of the woman as never had tho most ardent declaration. it frightened her, too, but deeply interested her and as tho week« wore on, she' found that, her eyes were straying less often to the steep hill of the. sea, and resting with growing frequency on the serene, clear-eyed countenance of Salem Tarr, whaleman. Four months found them subtly changed. A groat tenderness had grown up in the strong heart of the sailor; tenderness, and a deep emotion, at times akin to pain. For with all of his sturdy democracy, he knew well that she was not of bis clay, but ol_ a finely wrought quality of ice and lire quite apart. ~ , • Herein, lay the subtlety ol thenchanged relation, for as Salem now looked up hopclesslv to the woman, so did she, for her part, look up to him, all caste forgotten, perceiving ever new heights of strength and purity, many of which were, mere abstract principles and ideas, yet of a sort Avhich she had never found in herself.

Salem never questioned the duchess a.s to her past life and its personal conditions." Several times she had volunteered, quite casually, incidents that had scandalised the sailor, the ethical code, of whom was of an almost Puritan austerity. The violence which he had witnessed at sea and the debauchery ashore had made no particular impression on Salem Tarr. Such wore the acts of " sinful and vi'lent men." for which they would no doubt some day burn in hell. One day, when they had sought refuge from the equatorial suu beneath the shade of a pandoanus, she obtained his abashed avowal that no woman had ever entered his life. " f alius reckoned," said Salem, blushingly, "that some day or other I. might kind o' fall in love wito some gal, 'n marry her, mebbe, and f wanted to he jes' as straight as what she was."

Tho duchess stared at him with a sort of wonder. She had always thought that sailors, of all mmi, were proverbially depraved. "'You have so much reverence for marriage?" she asked, her eyes fixed on him. Salem's brown loot wriggled in its sandal and his lace turned the deepest tone of madder lake. " "J'ain't the. marryin'. 'xactly. - ' said he, '' it's the bein' in love." There came in time an epoch almost of constraint between them, supplanting the frank comradeship. Their eyes would meet to bring the blood to both faces in pulsing waves, and the strong heart of the sailor would pound at the walls of his arching chest like a choppy sea striking the bluff bows of a whaleship. These moods were often followed by a. sort of harshness on Salem's part, and sulks on the part of the duchess. One day she spoke contemptuously of his uncompromising religious views."and Salem reproved her sternly. " It's beeus you're a r'yal duchess." said he, "and think that the Lord A''mighty ain't much higher. With us sailormen it's different. Wo go down to the sea in ships and see the glory o' God on the face o' the deep waters. But here we he. sailor and great lady marooned on this here island, and the difference betwixt us ain't no more than that!" and he snapped his thumb and. finger. The duchess's blue eves were fastened on his masterful face. "You are right, Salem," she answered, softly. "We are only that. Man and woman. Mere, everything is levelled between us." , Salem, threw her a quick look. "'Meanin' that everywhere else there would alius be the big difference?" he asked, quickly. " Oh," cried the duchess, " what does that matter? We are here, are we not? What does it matter what we would be once back in the world again?" ''But that's jes' what is nigh killin' me, Christina !" cried Salem," passionately. " It's the thought that this may come to an end any dav !" His voice choked and he sprang to his feet and stood, an Olympic figure in his pagan costume, bare of arm and leg, the goatskin tunic .caught about his slender waist by a -bolt of plaited grass and bis broad chest heaving under his deep breathing. "There's narv such woman as you in al! tin's wide world, Christina," he cried, and bis deep voice vibrated with a note of pain, " but what is that to me when it's onlv on this little island that we c'n stand side inside, and everywhar else I walk bebiu'l!"

.lie flung out his muscular arm, palm up, lingers tense, the sinews stretching the brown, satiny skin. The. duchess looked up, then quickly awov. thrilled and startled, lor the 'man was transfigured.

" Why'r you whrt you are?" cried Salem. " \\'hy cud'nt you ha' l>een jes' sech a woman as f am a man?" his chest with one fist. " Why was you rset ashore bote to nigh break my heart, on' v to l w took away, as you may be any hour, .jes' when I've growed to be plum crazed with the love o' you? Why. Christina? Can you answer me that? As it is. if we was to stop hero on this island for the. next twenty year, livitr a.s .husband and wife in God's sight, would you cleave to mo once back in the world again? No! You know you cud'nt! And d'ye think _ that I am so pore a critter as to give ye up, once you was mine? No, by the Eternal! Sooner would .1 clasp y<>. in my arms and carry ye a hundred fathoms deep!" A sob burst from his throat. .Stooping quickly, be whipped up his stone mace from the ground, then turned and strode from the hut. A mile below their cabin (he beach ran out into a long, sandy promontory which was a favourite .spot for the great sea-turtles to lay their eggs. The duchess was one day seeking refuge from the sun beneath the, airyshade of the palms when Salem took spear and mace and departed to hunt the eggs of the Chelones, for it was their season for coming to la.nd. When lie had gone, the duchess fell asleep, nor did she awaken until the sun was very low. 'then, a little frightened at finding herself' alone in the fading light, and surprised that Salem had not returned, she started down the beach to look for him. walking swiftly on the hard sand at the water's edge.

As she reached a point, not far from the hut she saw (he tall figure of the sailor coining toward her, his long, purple shadow cast before him. As they approached more nearly, the duchess saw that he was walking wearily and that bis garments wore in. places stained with blond. There was blood also on Ihe bare arms and a dried stain which ran from the knee the length of the brown, musclar leg. "Salem!" she _ cried. "What, has happened to you?'' He leaned on his spear handle and looked at her with calm, steadfast eyes, and she saw the. rim of a frightful bruise, just visible, below the fringe of his wavy, chestnut hair. "I came on four hostyh> natives," said Salem, quietly. " They sighted me 's soon as 1 did them, 'n, I that if they got, awav your life wa'unf wuth a. hoss-mack'ri!. Fetched up their gang, they would ha', ao J turned to and killed 'em off." The duchess stared at him wildly. There was a fresh breeze from the darkening sea, and the sun had sunk below the windy horizon.

"'Do yon mean," she- cried, "'that vou havebattncked find slain i'our na\iVPs?'' lie «miled i'niiiLly. " Thai's wlial, Christina,''" lie answered. " Seems kind <>' like .slaughter, T know, hut tliey wa'am nu hol|> l : r it. 'Tuas their lives <ir vours. and hoin' eannihals and .serli, they ain't jes' like humans, anyhow.''

The duchess stepped nearer and regarded him with kindling eyevs. "You arc wounded," klio said, softly. " Nothiu' but a few little cuts and bruises," muttered Salem, strangely disturbed at something which was "-rowing in the face of hiVeompanion. Ho cast down his e.ycs to tho sand. "Toll me about the combat 4 .'-' said the duchosn, eagerly. Salem threw her' a swift, curious look.

" I came on 'm. beachin' their canoe," said he, "and bein' af eared they might go back and git help T sailed right, in. Two I killed then and tha ar, beside the boat, but the other two ran and .1 hollered 'em clean to the. end of the p'int. Tlr'ar thev made a stand, but sho! Christina! What chance h.a.s two o' them things aoin a Yankee whaleman? Al v on'v trouble was gittin' within reach. Fimllv they got desprit and come for me together'" -a sudden savage, light shone from his grey eyes--" and then 'twas soon over!" lie glanced at the woman and smiled grimly.

The duchess was looking at him with a high flush on either cheek and her blue eyes deep and humid as the ultramarine of the ocean outside the reef. " And you had no compunction P" she ." What about your Puritan ideas?"

Ho looked at her moodily. " P'raps I done wrong,'- he answered. " P'raps F ought to iia' offered 'em peace. If there'd on'y been me I would never ha' struck the fust blow. But 'twas you I thought of, Christina. I wa'ant takin' no chances where you was consa.arncd! Not much. 'N right or wrong, good or bad, I'd see every'Melanesian nigger in these here islands flenched and sun-dried afore I'd risk a hair o' your head, Christina !" The duchess gave him a, fathomless glance, while her breath came fast. Her Finno Ugrie blood, hot with the wild impulses of generations of warrior ancestors, hurst into blaze as she contemplated the man returning to her stained with blood and wounds received in her defence. Sailor, fisherman, low of_ caste .... what did it matter? Was he not clean of heart and clear of eye and strong and tender, loving her as never would another? She raised her eyes to his. still burning in their depths with the fire of strife. Superman, he looked to her, as he stood before her on the beach, his hair tossing in the wind, his bronzed limbs gold and saffron in the waning light of the wild, tropic sunset. She stepped swiftly toward him and flung out her arms. " Salem!" she cried. " 1 love you—• I love vou !"

H.M. protected cruiser Gazehound sighted the canoe just at sunset, the horizontal rays flashing rosy pink against the matting sail. The ship slightly altered her course, and bore down upon the little craft. Close aboard she stopped, reversed, then stopped again and lay wallowing in the, long swell, while from the decks her crew looked down with wonder as a man and a woman, beautiful as god and goddess, came up the ladder and over the cruiser's side. "Who,'" «aid the marvelling commander, "' in tho name of all that's wonderful, are you?"

Salem, standing straight as a lanee, answered the officer's question, in his harsh New England tones: "Two castaways, sir. This lady is the Grand Duchess Christina, sole, survivor from the wreck of the yacht Christina. As f'r me, I'm Salem Tarr, harpooner, lost with a whaleboat's crew from the ship Alice Stocton, we towin' behind a spa''arm whale." . Few more words were needed to tell their talo. " A month ago," Salem concluded, "there landed on the island four hostyle natives. 1 killed all hands —cannibal Melanosians they was, sir. Late this arternoon we sighted your smoke and put out in tho canoe to head ye, 'n' here wo be, sir." There was a moment of silence. Then the commander turned to the duchess. "'My cabin will be at the disposal of your Royal Highness in a few minutes," •said lie." "Meanwhile, permit me to show you to tho ward-room." He glanced at Salem. "The petty officers' mess will lock after you, my man," lie said, kindly. " Draw on the yeoman for what you need in the way of an outfit." And he turned anain to the Grand Duchess, who was looking with brimming eyes at Salem Tarr. harpooner.