ter which the
savage came sidling in our direction again.

"Hi!" I shouted, as the childish pantomime went on, and the savage
stared in all directions as if wonder-stricken at a strange noise coming
he knew not whence, and ending by kneeling down and laying his ear to
the ground.

"Hi!" I shouted again; but it was of no use, he could not possibly see
either us, our chest, our fire, or the hut, but kept sidling along,
staring in every direction but the right.

"Go and fetch him, Nat, while I toast another bloater. We'll give him
some breakfast, and it will make him friendly."

I got up and went off, wondering what Uncle Joe and Aunt Sophia would
have said to see me going to speak to that great spear-armed savage, and
for a moment I wondered what would happen if he attacked me.

"Uncle Dick would shoot him dead with his rifle," I said to myself by
way of comfort, and I walked boldly on.

Still he would not see me, but kept sidling on till I got close up to
him and gave him a smart spank on his naked shoulder.

In an instant he had spun round, leaped to a couple of yards away, and
poised his spear as if to hurl. Then, acting his astonishment with
great cleverness, his angry countenance broke up into a broad smile, he
placed his spear into the hollow of his left arm, and stepped forward to
shake hands, chattering away eagerly, though I could not understand a
word.

"Come and have some breakfast," I said, and he chattered again. "Come
and have some breakfast," I shouted; and then to myself: "How stupid I
am! He can't understand."

So I took him by the arm, and pointed towards where my uncle was
watching us with his rifle leaning against the table; and I knew that he
must have been looking after my safety.

The savage stared here and there and everywhere, but he could not see my
uncle till I dragged him half-way to the fire and pointed again, when he
uttered a shout of surprise, as much as to say, "Well, who would have
thought of seeing him there!"

He then walked up with me, grinning pleasantly, shook hands, and looked
astonished as we pointed to the ground for him to sit down.

He seated himself though, at last, after sticking his spear in the sandy
earth, and then watched us both as I spread some salt butter out of a
pot on a piece of biscuit, and then handed him over some hot coffee,
which I made very sweet, while my uncle, after shaking hands, had gone
on toasting the bloater upon a stick of bamboo.