ght of our captain filled me
with so much horror that I kept out of his way as much as my duties about
the cabin would permit. Fortunately he took so little notice of me that
he did not observe my changed feelings towards him, otherwise it might
have been worse for me.

But I was now resolved that I would run away the very first island we
should land at, and commit myself to the hospitality of the natives
rather than remain an hour longer than I could help in the pirate
schooner. I pondered this subject a good deal, and at last made up my
mind to communicate my intention to Bloody Bill; for, during several
talks I had had with him of late, I felt assured that he too would
willingly escape if possible. When I told him of my design he shook his
head. "No, no, Ralph," said he, "you must not think of running away
here. Among some of the groups of islands you might do so with safety,
but if you tried it here you would find that you had jumped out of the
fryin' pan into the fire."

"How so, Bill?" said I, "would the natives not receive me?"

"That they would, lad; but they would eat you too."

"Eat me!" said I in surprise, "I thought the South Sea islanders never
ate anybody except their enemies."

"Humph!" ejaculated Bill. "I s'pose 'twas yer tender-hearted friends in
England that put that notion into your head. There's a set o'
soft-hearted folk at home that I knows on, who don't like to have their
feelin's ruffled, and when you tell them anything they don't like--that
shocks them, as they call it--no matter how true it be, they stop their
ears and cry out, 'Oh, that is _too_ horrible! We can't believe that!'
An' they say truth. They can't believe it 'cause they won't believe it.
Now, I believe there's thousands o' the people in England who are sich
born drivellin' _won't-believers_ that they think the black fellows
hereaway, at the worst, eat an enemy only now an' then, out o' spite;
whereas, I know for certain, and many captains of the British and
American navies know as well as me, that the Feejee islanders eat not
only their enemies but one another; and they do it not for spite, but for
pleasure. It's a _fact_ that they prefer human flesh to any other. But
they don't like white men's flesh so well as black. They say it makes
them sick."

"Why, Bill," said I, "you told me just now that they would eat _me_ if
they caught me."

"So I did; and so I think they would. I've only heard some o' them say
the