noon
Thus encouraged , the two cannibals dove overboard . McGuffey could see them pawing around on the bottom of the little bay , and after half a minute each came up with a magnificent spray of coral . They hung to the side of the boat until they could get their breath , then repeated the performance . In the meantime , the mate had sent his two divers below to loosen the coral ; with the result that when both boats returned to the _ Maggie II _ at noon Captain Scraggs fairly gurgled with delight at the results of the morning 's work , and Mr. Gibney declared that his headache was gone . He and Captain Scraggs had spent the morning seated on deck under an awning , watching the beach for signs of a sortie on the part of the natives of Kandavu to recapture their king . Apparently , however , the destructive fire from the pom-pom gun the night before had so terrified them that the entire population had emigrated to the northern end of the island , leaving the invaders in undisputed possession of the bay and its hidden treasures of coral and pearl and shell . For nearly two weeks the _ Maggie II _ lay at anchor , while her crew laboured daily in the gardens of the deep .