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Begin at the beginning." "You'll have to help me out," Grief warned the others, as he began. "Old Parlay is a character. From what I've seen of him I believe he's partly and mildly insane. Anyway, here's the story: Parlay's a full-blooded Frenchman. He told me once that he came from Paris. His accent is the true Parisian. He arrived down here in the old days. Went to trading and all the rest.
He turned to the steersman: "Tai-Hotauri, what about old Parlay's pearls?" The Kanaka, pleased and self-conscious, took and gave a spoke. "My brother dive for Parlay three, four month, and he make much talk about pearl. Hikihoho very good place for pearl." "And the pearl-buyers have never got him to part with a pearl," the captain broke in.
Several of the buyers even went back to the table to continue the examination of the pearls. Parlay's shrill cackle rose higher. "That's right," he encouraged. "If the world was coming to an end you'd go on buying." "We'll buy these to-morrow just the same," Isaacs assured him. "Then you'll be doing your buying in hell." The chorus of incredulous laughter incensed the old man.
Like the Malahini, those that had third anchors were preparing to drop them when the wind showed what quarter it was to blow from. The roar of the big surf continually grew though the lagoon lay in the mirror-like calm. There was no sign of life where Parlay's big house perched on the sand. Boat and copra-sheds and the sheds where the shell was stored were deserted.
Well, well, what men will dare for a few little oyster drops! There they are, the beauties! Auction to-morrow, at ten sharp. Old Parlay's selling out, and the buzzards are gathering old Parlay who was a stronger man in his day than any of them and who will see most of them dead yet." "If he isn't a vile old beast!" the supercargo of the Malahini whispered to Peter Gee.
Ashore, where Parlay's house had been, was no vestige of any house. For the space of three hundred yards, where the sea had breached, no tree or even stump was left. Here and there, farther along, stood an occasional palm, and there were numbers which had been snapped off above the ground. In the crown of one surviving palm Tai-Hotauri asserted he saw something move.
"For two cents I'd up anchors and get out," Grief said. "I'd do it anyway if it were open sea. But those chains of atolls to the north and east have us pocketed. We've a better chance right here. What do you think, Captain Warfield?" "I agree with you, though a lagoon is no mill-pond for riding it out. I wonder where she's going to start from? Hello! There goes one of Parlay's copra-sheds."
Loose ends of rope stood out stiffly horizontal, and, when a whipping gave, the loose end frazzled and blew away. Mulhall touched one and then another and pointed to the shore. The grass-sheds had disappeared, and Parlay's house rocked drunkenly, Because the wind blew lengthwise along the atoll, the house had been sheltered by the miles of cocoanut trees.
Slowly and steadily, but with ever-increasing velocity, the wind veered around to the south and the southwest, till the three schooners that were left pointed directly in toward the beach. The wreck of Parlay's house was picked up, hurled into the lagoon, and blown out upon them. Passing the Malahini, it crashed into the Papara, lying a quarter of a mile astern.
It will come as hard as ever." He looked at the barometer. "29:32," he read. Not in a moment could he tone down the voice which for hours had battled against the wind, and so loudly did he speak that in the quiet it hurt the others' ears. "All his ribs are smashed," the supercargo said, feeling along Parlay's side. "He's still breathing, but he's a goner."
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