The boy shook his head obstinately.

“Tomorrow, as soon as it is light,” he said, “I dive again to bring up such white coral as has not been seen on Carib Island in my day.”

“In your day!” exclaimed old Jim Tom, much incensed. “In your minute—for that is all you have lived. Never has any man made a better haul than you. Be satisfied. The reef is not fortunate for the greedy.”

“My silk-sponge was won from the jaws of a shark and my shell from the conger eel,” returned the boy, doggedly. “I ask no favors of the reef.”

The old man glanced around apprehensively, while the water seemed to chuckle as it lapped against the coral.

“It is not lucky to talk that way,” he said softly. “Sleep now,” he went on after a pause. “When morning comes, perhaps there will be a better spirit in you and we will go home.”

But they all gave birth to male children. When Labong’o married a fifth wife she bore him a daughter. They called her Oganda, meaning “beans,” because her skin was very fair. Out of Labong’o’s twenty children, Oganda was the only girl. Though she was the chief’s favorite, her mother’s co-wives swallowed their jealous feeling and showered her with love. After all, they said, Oganda was a female child whose days in the royal family were numbered. She would soon marry at a tender age and leave the enviable position to someone else."

sons knew there was great danger.. Perhaps their enemies had declared war on them. Labong’o’s eyes were red, and they could see he had been weeping. At last he told them. “One whom we love and treasure must be taken away from us. Oganda is to die.” Labong’o’s voice was so faint, that he could not hear it himself. But he continued, “The ancestors have chosen her as a sacrifice to the lake monster in order that we may have rain.”

coaxing the old lady to tell her quickly, to tell her they were pleased with Osinda.

feeling that something was following her. Was it the monster? Her hair stood erect, and a cold paralyzing feeling ran along her spine. She looked behind, sideways and in front, but there was nothing, except a cloud of dust."

Oganda ran with all her strength. She was now determined to throw herself into the water even before sunset. She did not look back, but the creature was upon her. She made an effort to cry out, as in a nightmare, but she could not hear her own voice. The creature caught up with Oganda. In the utter confusion, as Oganda came face to face with the unidentified creature, a strong hand grabbed her. But she fell flat on 

the ground and fainted"

“We must escape quickly to the unknown land,” Osinda 

said urgently. “We must run away from the wrath of the ancestors and the retaliation of the monster.”

Firmly gripped by his shirt front, the boy said, “Yes’m.”

The woman said, “What did you want to do it for?”

The boy said, “I didn’t aim to.”

She said, “You a lie!”

“Me?” said Jimmy, in surprise. “Why, I never cracked a safe in my life.”

“Oh, no,” laughed the warden. “Of course not. Let’s see, now. How was it you happened to get sent up on that Springfield job? Was it because you wouldn’t prove an alibi for fear of compromising somebody in extremely high-toned society? Or was it simply a case of a mean old jury that had it in for you? It’s always one or the other with you innocent victims.”

In a minute Jimmy’s pet drill was biting smoothly into the steel door. In ten minutes — breaking his own burglarious record — he threw back the bolts and opened the door.

[60]

was plenty of stock and plenty of feed and a great deal of expensive farm machinery of the newest  model, and no comfort whatever. The woman had too many children and too much work, and she was 

no manager. When the baby was born at last, and handed over to the assisting neighbour woman