After Captain Knowles had reached Tahiti, he did not delay to take the first opportunity to go home, as he was extremely anxious about his wife, an anxiety which was only too well founded, for the poor lady had died of hopeless grief and suspense concerning the fate of her husband. [Illustration] [Illustration] CHAPTER XIV. AN UNPLEASANT SURPRISE IN THE course of our narrative we now return to the two families on Pitcairn. Their first night on shore was passed in one of the old houses which was so thickly covered with a growth of the wild bean that all felt sure it would afford the best protection against rain, if rain should fall. But they were soon convinced of their mistake when, during the night, a pouring rain roused them from their slumbers by coming in upon them through the frail covering of the vines. Early the next day they removed to another house, which afforded better accommodations, and where they stayed until their own cottages were repaired. They had but just finished the work of arranging their new abode to the best advantage when some of the young girls sallied forth, accompanied by one of their mothers, to have a look around the forsaken place. When only a short distance from the house, they espied, coming towards them through the bush-grown path, two men, who had just come ashore from a ship, unknown to any of the party on the island. At sight of the strangers, one of whom was carrying a gun, the other being a colored man, the woman and girls screamed and fled, one of the girls in her terror dropping several feet from the boughs of an orange tree up which she had climbed. Impelled by a haunting dread that something awful was about to happen, they ran in breathless haste toward the house where the other woman and children were. Their frightened looks told plainly enough that something unusual had occurred, and, crowded close together, the story of what they had seen was repeated. But they congratulated themselves on the fact that their retreat would not be easily discovered, as the path was well nigh hidden from view by the thick growth of weeds and bushes. Worst of all, their natural protectors were all absent from home at the time. Their terror could be better imagined than described when, a few minutes having passed, the black man’s face appeared through an opening in the trees, and immediately behind him was his white companion. The lot of timid women and children could scarce refrain from shrieking aloud, but the colored man assured them, with a pleasant smile, that there was nothing to fear, and that the gun was brought on shore for other game than themselves. It did not take long to quiet their fears, when they discovered that the black man was really a pleasant-spoken, kindly person; but the other man held aloof, and scarcely had a word to say. They both gladly accepted food from the hands of the women, who also gave them permission to take all the fruit that they wished.