A Son of the Sun

The Willi-Waw lay in the passage between the shore-reef and the outer-reef.From the latter came the low murmur of a lazy surf, but the sheltered stretch ofwater, not more than a hundred yards across to the white beach of pounded coralsand, was of glass-like smoothness. Narrow as was the passage, and anchored asshe was in the shoalest place that gave room to swing, the Willi-Waw's chainrode up-and-down a clean hundred feet. Its course could be traced over thebottom of living coral. Like some monstrous snake, the rusty chain's slackwandered over the ocean floor, crossing and recrossing itself several times andfetching up finally at the idle anchor. Big rock-cod, dun and mottled, playedwarily in and out of the coral. Other fish, grotesque of form and colour, werebrazenly indifferent, even when a big fish-shark drifted sluggishly along and sentthe rock-cod scuttling for their favourite crevices.