The Willi-Waw lay in the passage between the shore-reef and the outer-reef.From the latter came the low murmur of a lazy surf, but the sheltered stretch ofwater, not more than a hundred yards across to the white beach of pounded coralsand, was of glass-like smoothness. Narrow as was the passage, and anchored asshe was in the shoalest place that gave room to swing, the Willi-Waw's chain rodeup-and-down a clean hundred feet. Its course could be traced over the bottom ofliving coral. Like some monstrous snake, the rusty chain's slack wandered over theocean floor, crossing and recrossing itself several times and fetching up finally atthe idle anchor. Big rock-cod, dun and mottled, played warily in and out of thecoral. Other fish, grotesque of form and colour, were brazenly indifferent, evenwhen a big fish-shark drifted sluggishly along and sent the rock-cod scuttling fortheir favourite crevices.On deck, for'ard, a dozen blacks pottered clumsily at scraping the teak rail. Theywere as inexpert at their work as so many monkeys. In fact they looked very muchlike monkeys of some enlarged and prehistoric type. Their eyes had in them thequerulous plaintiveness of the monkey, their faces were even less symmetrical thanthe monkey's, and, hairless of body, they were far more ungarmented than anymonkey, for clothes they had none. Decorated they were as no monkey ever was. Inholes in their ears they carried short clay pipes, rings of turtle shell, huge plugs ofwood, rusty wire nails, and empty rifle cartridges. The calibre of a Winchester riflewas the smallest hole an ear bore; some of the largest holes were inches indiameter, and any single ear averaged from three to half a dozen holes. Spikes andbodkins of polished bone or petrified shell were thrust through their noses. On thechest of one hung a white doorknob, on the chest of another the handle of a chinacup, on the chest of a third the brass cogwheel of an alarm clock. They chattered inqueer, falsetto voices, and, combined, did no more work than a single white sailor.Aft, under an awning, were two white men. Each was clad in a six-pennyundershirt and wrapped about the loins with a strip of cloth. Belted about themiddle of each was a revolver and tobacco pouch. The sweat stood out on their skinin myriads of globules. Here and there the globules coalesced in tiny streams thatdripped to the heated deck and almost immediately evaporated. The lean, darkeyed man wiped his fingers wet with a stinging stream from his forehead and flungit from him with a weary curse. Wearily, and without hope, he gazed seawardacross the outer-reef, and at the tops of the palms along the beach.