r, Mr Rimmer, here they are,' he says.
`Good job too,' says I. `Are they all here?' `Quick, quick,' he says.
`Get out the guns,' and looking half wild with fear, he began to shut up
the gangway and to yell for some one to help him pull up the ladder. I
thought he was mad, and I caught hold of him as the men came running up.
`Here, young fellow,' I says, `what's the matter with you; have you got
sunstroke?' `No, sir,' he says, `but one of their poisoned arrows
whizzed by my ear. Don't you understand? I was fishing and I'd just
hooked a big one when a croc seized it, and nearly dragged me into the
water. Then, all at once, I looked up and let go of the line, for there
was a whole gang of nearly naked black fellows, with their heads all
fuzzed out, and spears and bows and arrows in their hands. They were a
long way off on the other side of the pool, but they saw me, and began
to run as fast as ever they could, and so did I.'"

"Enough to make him," said Drew.

"Yes, and it didn't want any telling, for the perspiration was streaming
down his face, his hair sticking to his forehead, and you could see his
heart pumping away and rising and falling. Next minute we could see the
rascals stealing up looking at the brig as if they expected to see it
come sailing down upon them; but as soon as they made sure it was not
going to move, they came shouting and dancing round us, and in the
boldest way tried to climb on board."

"Well?" said Drew, for the mate stopped.

"Well? I call it ill, sir."

"But what did you do then?"

"Oh! the game began then, of course. I told the men to tell them that
nobody came on board except by invitation; but they didn't like it and
insisted upon coming."

"But could they understand English?"

"No, not a word."

"Then how could you tell them?"

"Oh! that was easy enough," said the mate with a droll look. "I made
the men tell them with capstan bars, and as soon as a black head
appeared above the bulwarks it went down again. I didn't want to fire
upon the poor ignorant wretches, who seemed to have an idea that the
brig was their prize, and that everyone was to give way to them, for
they came swarming up, over fifty of them, throwing and darting their
spears at us, and shooting arrows, so I was obliged to give them a
lesson."

"Have you killed any?" said Drew.

"Not yet. I found that hitting their thick heads was no good, so I
served out some swan shot cartridges, and sent a lot