{"product_id":"2940014043601","title":"The Moccasins of Silence","description":"A group of New Guinea boys busily engaged in cleaning pearl-shell,\u003cbr\u003echattering the while, as they wield their knives, and show their\u003cbr\u003estrong, even teeth in frequent laughter. Fine, strapping, copper-\u003cbr\u003ecoloured fellows, with great mops of hair dyed yellow. A white man\u003cbr\u003eleans against the door post, dreamily smoking; trying hard to think of\u003cbr\u003enothing and succeeding tolerably well. Beyond--is as fair a view as\u003cbr\u003ecould be seen anywhere in the thousands of miles of the long\u003cbr\u003eAustralian coast-line.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is the glorious winter weather of the southern tropic, and the\u003cbr\u003edeep blue waters of the almost land-locked strait are rippling merrily\u003cbr\u003eunder the breath of the steady south-east monsoon. The grey hills of\u003cbr\u003ePrince of Wales Island stand out in striking contrast to the white\u003cbr\u003esands at their feet, and the entrance to the narrow passage separating\u003cbr\u003eit from Friday Island is just visible, looking like the mouth of a\u003cbr\u003epicturesque inlet. White sails on the sea, white houses clustering\u003cbr\u003ehere and there on the shore, make a scene gay with color and sparkling\u003cbr\u003ewith sunshine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The flag's up, Tom,\" says a voice; \"she's just rounding Goode\u003cbr\u003eIsland,\" and the speaker, approaching, lays his hand on the smoker's\u003cbr\u003eshoulder.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Heaps of time,\" returns Tom, knocking his pipe out; \"but I suppose I\u003cbr\u003emay as well get ready.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Take a turn on the beach first,\" replies the new-comer, \"I have\u003cbr\u003esomething more to tell you.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThey stroll on until they stand close to the lapping wavelets kissing\u003cbr\u003ethe shell-strewn strand, then Annett, a man some five or six years\u003cbr\u003eolder than his partner, Tom Duckworth, speaks: \"The main thing, of\u003cbr\u003ecourse, as you know, is to find out the whereabouts of Ras Mahad.\" Tom\u003cbr\u003enodded. \"Hillsden knows, but, if he won't tell, I don't exactly see\u003cbr\u003ehow you are to make him; that is, without letting him into our\u003cbr\u003econfidence, and he's too big a scamp for that. But we discussed all\u003cbr\u003ethis before. What I have to tell you is this. You remember the boy\u003cbr\u003eDjuran we picked up adrift on that proa, half--starved. He knows quite\u003cbr\u003eas much about what we want to find out as Ras Mahad himself. Comes\u003cbr\u003efrom the same place, probably a relation of some sort. I heard last\u003cbr\u003enight that he was on the nor'-west coast, and it's my belief that Ras\u003cbr\u003eMahad is there too, so, if you can make nothing out of Hillsden when\u003cbr\u003eyou're down, we'll go round there and see.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I don't see why Hillsden should refuse to tell me what he knows.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Simply because he is one of those suspicious, grasping rogues who\u003cbr\u003ewould immediately suspect that you had some ulterior motive in asking\u003cbr\u003ethe question.\"--\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Which I have,\" interrupted Tom.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"True; but whether you had or not he would presume that you had, and\u003cbr\u003etell you a lie on principle. It's one satisfaction to know that, if\u003cbr\u003eyou get nothing out of him, he'll get nothing out of you.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTom smiled grimly; the reticence of his nature was well known in\u003cbr\u003eTorres' Strait.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Here she comes round the point,\" went on Annett, \"You'll go and see\u003cbr\u003eRuth as soon as ever you get down;\" and the two men turned back to the\u003cbr\u003ehotel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe E. and A. steamer slowed down and picked up the water-police boat\u003cbr\u003ewith the resident and customs-officer on board, then, after a brief\u003cbr\u003einterval, went alongside the hulk, made fast, and immediately a\u003cbr\u003efurious blast on the whistle proclaimed the fact that she had no time\u003cbr\u003eto waste at Thursday Island.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe agent's boat, with its smart-looking coloured crew, had just\u003cbr\u003ereturned from the steamer and was waiting at the boat jetty when the\u003cbr\u003epartners came down, both now dressed in immaculate white, the luggage\u003cbr\u003ewas put in and the two men were soon alongside the China boat. From\u003cbr\u003ethe greetings Tom received as he stepped on board, it was evident that\u003cbr\u003ehe was both well--known and well-liked. The cargo was rapidly\u003cbr\u003etranshipped to the hulk, the third whistle blew, and with a warm\u003cbr\u003ehandshake the two men parted.","brand":"WDS Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47073898627312,"sku":"2940014043601","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940014043601_p0.jpg?v=1763603798","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940014043601","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}