In the beche-de-mer that was current among the blacks of a thousand islands and ten thousand dialects, the _Arangi's_ procession of passengers assured her of her fate.

"My word, you fella Mary," one would say to her, "short time little bit that big fella white marster kai-kai along you." Or, another: "Big fella white marster kai-kai along you, my word, belly belong him walk about too much." Kai-kai was the beche-de-mer for "eat." Even Jerry knew that.

"Eat" did not obtain in his vocabulary; but kai-kai did, and it meant all and more than "eat," for it served for both noun and verb.
But the girl never replied to the jeering of the blacks.

For that matter, she never spoke at all, not even to Captain Van Horn, who did not so much as know her name.
It was late afternoon, after discovering the girl in the lazarette, when Jerry again came on deck.

Scarcely had Skipper, who had carried him up the steep ladder, dropped him on deck than Jerry made a new discovery--land.