35 ° 
Wild Life in Southern Seas. 
Then Matara came close to the woman, and 
took her hand, and said this to her—that in his 
hands lay life or death for herself and children, 
and that Tati had told the people but a little 
while ago that unless she returned to the old 
faith he would kill her or put her away. 
“ But,” said Matara, and he spoke softly to 
her, “ it is in my mind to save thee, for, wicked 
as thou art, I yet love thee, and will take thee 
to my house. Tati’s face is turned away from 
thee now for ever; so hasten away, leave thy 
children with me, and I will take them to Tati; 
and see that thou runnest quickly along the 
beach to my house, so that no one seeth thee, 
for the people even now cry, ‘Give us the blood 
of the sorceress and apostate who has wrought 
such misfortune.” 
Then, although the woman trembled, she was 
not afraid. She stepped back a little space and 
said— 
“If it be in Tati’s mind to do me this wrong, 
and put me away, then must I die. But go to 
thy house I never shall, thou bad and cruel man, 
whose hands are red with the blood of those thou 
hast slain uselessly.” 
So, taking her children’s hands in her 
