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bleeding from a score of wounds。
Ngakura's left arm was broken； the fingers of her right hand were crushed； and
cheek and forehead were laid open to the bone。 He clutched a tree that yet
stood； and clung on； holding the girl and sobbing for air； while the waters of
the lagoon washed by knee…high and at times waist…high。
At three in the morning the backbone of the hurricane broke。 By five no more
than a stiff breeze was blowing。 And by six it was dead calm and the sun was
shining。 The sea had gone down。 On the yet restless edge of the lagoon； Mapuhi
saw the broken bodies of those that had failed in the landing。 Undoubtedly
Tefara and Nauri were among them。 He went along the beach examining them； and
came upon his wife； lying half in and half out of the water。 He sat down and
wept； making harsh animal noises after the manner of primitive grief。 Then she
stirred uneasily； and groaned。 He looked more closely。 Not only was she alive；
but she was uninjured。 She was merely sleeping。 Hers also had been the one
chance in ten。
Of the twelve hundred alive the night before but three hundred remained。 The
mormon missionary and a gendarme made the census。 The lagoon was cluttered
with corpses。 Not a house nor a hut was standing。 In the whole atoll not two
stones remained one upon another。 One in fifty of the cocoanut palms still
stood； and they were wrecks； while on not one of them remained a single nut。
There was no fresh water。 The shallow wells that caught the surface seepage of
the rain were filled with salt。 Out of the lagoon a few soaked bags of flour
were recovered。 The survivors cut the hearts out of the fallen cocoanut trees
and ate them。 Here and there they crawled into tiny hutches； made by
hollowing out the sand and covering over with fragments of metal roofing。 The
missionary made a crude still； but he could not distill water for three
hundred persons。 By the end of the second day； Raoul； taking a bath in the
lagoon； discovered that his thirst was somewhat relieved。 He cried out the
news； and thereupon three hundred men； women； and children could have been
seen； standing up to their necks in the lagoon and trying to drink water in
through their skins。 Their dead floated about them； or were stepped upon where
they still lay upon the bottom。 On the third day the people buried their dead
and sat down to wait for the rescue steamers。
In the meantime； Nauri； torn from her family by the hurricane； had been swept
away on an adventure of her own。 Clinging to a rough plank that wounded and
bruised her and that filled her body with splinters； she was thrown clear over
the atoll and carried away to sea。 Here； under the amazing buffets of
mountains of water； she lost her plank。 She was an old woman nearly sixty； but
she was Paumotan…born； and she had never been out of sight of the sea in her
life。 Swimming in the darkness； strangling； suffocating； fighting for air； she
was struck a heavy blow on the shoulder by a cocoanut。 On the instant her plan
was formed； and she seized the nut。 In the next hour she captured seven more。
Tied together； they formed a life…buoy that preserved her life while at the
same time it threatened to pound her to a jelly。 She was a fat woman； and she
bruised easily； but she had had experience of hurricanes； and while she prayed
to her shark god for protection from sharks； she waited for the wind to break。
But at three o'clock she was in such a stupor that she did not know。 Nor did
she know at six o'clock when the dead calm settled down。 She was shocked into
consciousness when she was thrown upon the sand。 She dug in with raw and
bleeding hands and feet and clawed against the backwash until she was beyond
the reach of the waves。
She knew where she was。 This land could be no other than the tiny islet of
Takokota。 It had no lagoon。 No one lived upon it。
Hikueru was fifteen miles away。 She could not see Hikueru； but she knew that
it lay to the south。 The days went by； and she lived on the cocoanuts that had
kept her afloat。 They supplied her with drinking water and with food。 But she
did not drink all she wanted； nor eat all she wanted。 Rescue was
problematical。 She saw the smoke of the rescue steamers on the horizon； but
what steamer could be expected to come to lonely； uninhabited Takokota？
From the first she was tormented by corpses。 The sea persisted in flinging
them upon her bit of sand； and she persisted； until her strength failed； in
thrusting them back into the sea where the sharks tore at them and devoured
them。 When her strength failed； the bodies festooned her beach with ghastly
horror； and she withdrew from them as far as she could； which was not far。
By the tenth day her last cocoanut was gone； and she was shrivelling from
thirst。 She dragged herself along the sand； looking for cocoanuts。 It was
strange that so many bodies floated up； and no nuts。 Surely； there were more
cocoanuts afloat than dead men！ She gave up at last； and lay exhausted。 The
end had come。 Nothing remained but to wait for death。
Coming out of a stupor； she became slowly aware that she was gazing at a patch
of sandy…red hair on the head of a corpse。 The sea flung the body toward her；
then drew it back。 It turned over； and she saw that it had no face。 Yet there
was something familiar about that patch of sandy…red hair。 An hour passed。 She
did not exert herself to make the identification。 She was waiting to die； and
it mattered little to her what man that thing of horror once might have been。
But at the end of the hour she sat up slowly and stared at the corpse。 An
unusually large wave had thrown it beyond the reach of the lesser waves。 Yes；
she was right； that patch of red hair could belong to but one man in the
Paumotus。 It was Levy； the German Jew； the man who had bought the pearl and
carried it away on the Hira。 Well； one thing was evident： The Hira had been
lost。 The pearl buyer's god of fishermen and thieves had gone back on him。
She crawled down to the dead man。 His shirt had been torn away； and she could
see the leather money belt about his waist。 She held her breath and tugged at
the buckles。 They gave easier than she had expected； and she crawled hurriedly
away across the sand； dragging the belt after her。 Pocket after pocket she
unbuckled in the belt and found empty。 Where could he have put it？ In the last
pocket of all she found it； the first and only pearl he had bought on the
voyage。 She crawled a few feet farther； to escape the pestilence of the belt；
and examined the pearl。 It was the one Mapuhi had found and been robbed of by
Toriki。 She weighed it in her hand and rolled it back and forth caressingly。
But in it she saw no intrinsic beauty。 What she did see was the house Mapuhi
and Tefara and she had builded so carefully in their minds。 Each time she
looked at the pearl she saw the house in all its details； including the
octagon…drop…clock on the wall。 That was something to live for。
She tore a strip from her ahu and tied the pearl securely about her neck。 Then
she went on along the beach； panting and groaning； but resolutely seeking for
cocoanuts。 Quickly she found one； and； as she glanced around； a second。 She
broke one； drinking its water； which was mildewy； and eating the last particle
of the meat。 A little later she found a shattered dugout。 Its outrigger was
gone； but she was hopeful； and； before the day was out； she found the
outrigger。 Every find was an augury。 The pearl was a talisman。 Late in the
afternoon she saw a wooden box floating low in the water。 When she dragged it
out on the beach its contents rattled； and inside she found ten tins of
salmon。 She opened one by hammering it on the canoe。 When a leak was started；
she drained the tin。 After that she spent several hours in extracting the
salmon； hammering and squeezing it out a morsel at a time。
Eight days longer she waited for rescue。 In the meantime she fastened the
outrigger back on t