The Strange Adventure of James Shervinton, page 109 by Louis Becke
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fofo--a port with which she was quite familiar, for she had been there on many occasions with her father. The anchorage was good, and there was a small town at the head of the harbour, where supplies could be obtained.
"That will do us nicely, then," I said; "we may as well spell there for a few days and get well rested. Oh, won't it be glorious to feel solid earth under foot once more after the last ten weary days!" "Oh Jim, the very thought of stepping on shore again makes my veins thrill. Oh, the great lovely green mountain forest, and the calls of the birds and the sweet sound of falling water--it is heaven to think of being there, in such a beautiful country after so many, many days upon the sea! Ah, you will love Guam, Jim! You cannot help it--it is the fairest, sweetest land in all the world, I think."
Her enthusiasm infected me to some degree, and bending forward to her, I whispered,--
"Is there a church at Tarafofo, Lucia?"
A vivid blush dyed her sweet face from neck to brow.
"Yes," she answered, so softly that I could scarce hear her, "there has always been a church there for a hundred years. It was once plundered and burned by pirates, so one of the priests told me when I was a child."
The breeze held good with us, and at four in the afternoon we ran in under Cape Ritidian and brought to half a cable away from the shore, which presented an aspect of the loveliest verdured hills and valleys imaginable, fringed with a curving snow-white beach, along which were scattered a few native houses, surrounded by plantations of bananas and papaw trees.
Presently a boat came off manned by natives dressed in very bright colours. They all spoke Spanish and at once offered to pilot us down to Tarafofo Harbour, which, they said, we could enter at any time, day or night; we accepted their services, and they came aboard, veered their boat astern, and by nightfall we came to an anchor in a small, but safe and exceedingly beautiful harbour.
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