In this party were the principal men and officials of the island, and Bry showed them all over “his” ship, afterward giving them a plentiful feast in the main cabin. Joe and I waited upon them, and it was fun to see Bry at one end of the table and Nux at the other, posing as the ruling spirits of the _Seagull_. My father and Uncle Naboth kept out of sight, as did all our passengers, although Alfonso and Lucia hid on deck and looked through the cabin windows at the savage feasters. The natives of Tuamotu were duly impressed by the magnificent surroundings of their chief, and when, he told them his ship needed repairs and tinkering they gladly volunteered to render him every assistance in their power. So his Majesty dismissed them and sent them back to land, and when they were gone he put on his apron and cooked our dinner. At five o’clock it was high tide, so we ran the _Seagull_ as far upon the sandy beach as she would go, using the engines to propel her, and then the natives swarmed into the water and braced her sides securely with long poles. As the tide receded it left us high and dry, and by daybreak our men were able to begin work. They found several planks badly sprung and one gaping hole torn in the bottom by the sharp rocks as we slid into the sea during the earthquake at Faytan. It would take several days to repair the damage, because we could only work part of the time, while the tide was out. Meantime, we were entertained by Bry in the chief’s house. It was the best in the village, or on the island, but made of logs with a palm thatched roof and far inferior in all ways to the houses of Faytan. Bry gave us a native repast, consisting mainly of roast goat and cheese, with a variety of delicious fruits. There was constant feasting and a succession of dances and ceremonies in honor of the chief’s return, and I was curious to know how all this would affect Bry, and whether he would leave us to rule over his native island, or not. But when the repairs were completed Bry announced his intention of sailing with us. “Allola, who is the brother of Nux, will make my people a good chief,” he said, “and my life with you has spoiled me to be now an ignorant islander. I could not be contented here any more; so I will go with you, and stay with you always.” There had never been any question about Nux. He had always said he preferred the life on our ship to being a big man in Tuamotu. All being ready, hundreds of natives waded into the water at high tide and by sheer force of numbers pushed the _Seagull_ off the sands till she floated. This operation was assisted by our propeller, but we could not have moved the heavy ship without the aid of Bry’s subjects.