One night. In m y watch below, when I was one o' th ' crew o f n trudln'-achooner runnin* between Sidney, A u s tia lia . nnd th* Islands o f 111’ South Pacific, Spike Muggles, n shipm ate, told me a strange tale about an island, a secret lagoon, and — pearls! Spike said lie had been on th* island, and th a t th ' bottom o f th* lagoon was covered w ith pearl-oysters ns big as a plate. By crack- ey, w hile he was y a rn in ' I began to see pearls as big as apples, w o rth thousands o f d o lla rs each. When Spike suggested th a t we buy a little schooner, and go a fte r those pearls, I to ld him I was fo r it. A few weeks la te r, Spike, Tony, th ’ cook, and I stood in th ’ bow o f our little schooner. R ight aheud was w avin' coconnut trees on an island. We glided through th ' break in th ’ reef and dropped anchor in a placid. W ives OP A FEATH ER - blue lugoon. In a few m in ­ utes I was In a d iv in ’-suit and un th ’ bottom o f th ’ la ­ goon. A ll around n g glided strange Ash colored like a rainbow. Green, red, ami black seaweed swayed In t h ’ w ater. And then, 1 saw th ' ------ P E A R L ! I shot up through th ’ water, hangin' onto some big critter for dear life . S t i l l hangin’ onto th* thing. I shot up into th* a ir, and then I saw th a t I was r id in ’ a w hoppin' big sw ord­ fish. Down we went again to th ’ bottom o f th ’ lagoon, then up in to th ' a ir again, and I 'l l be dingbusted i f that awordflsh d id n 't go scootin’ fo r th ' schooner. Wham, went his sw ord-bill in to th ’ m ainm ast. When Spike and Tony got th ’ head-piece off th ’ d iv in ’-suit I saw M r Sword Ash hangin' to th ’ mast. W atch fo r my next yarn about th is island. Tm -v, Vm w efts S o a a s , \ KHOUO S o ü •D lO H ’ T X o C tV M CAU “ VfA G V -A o X °U fi. u J lF E HAUd, \ XMooJ "E j E T t E K * SOU T w C s n T . — CAS IMiF-E- IS A CRA*B Sou G o u u 'D N 'T E H T o S S h E MEAU UOHH HEPL T H R o u J iH G TMSVACS A H D C irie e P -S A R oui S ^ ’ Hood k i T il’ONi'f fA lH D THAT AT Auu — \ VEV.T SERS M U C H f - — H o fA B - _____ >