. Despite his firearms, the gang could have
rushed him and delivered that blow, when his head and the plantation
would have been theirs. Hatred and murder and lust for revenge they
possessed to overflowing. But one thing they lacked, the thing that he
possessed, the flame of mastery that would not quench, that burned
fiercely as ever in the disease-wasted body, and that was ever ready to
flare forth and scorch and singe them with its ire.

"Narada! Billy!" Sheldon called sharply.

Two men slunk unwillingly forward and waited.

Sheldon gave the keys of the handcuffs to a house-boy, who went under the
house and loosed the prisoner.

"You fella Narada, you fella Billy, take um this fella boy along tree and
make fast, hands high up," was Sheldon's command.

While this was being done, slowly, amidst mutterings and restlessness on
the part of the onlookers, one of the house-boys fetched a heavy-handled,
heavy-lashed whip. Sheldon began a speech.

"This fella Arunga, me cross along him too much. I no steal this fella
Arunga. I no gammon. I say, 'All right, you come along me Berande, work
three fella year.' He say, 'All right, me come along you work three
fella year.' He come. He catch plenty good fella _kai-kai_, {2} plenty
good fella money. What name he run away? Me too much cross along him. I
knock what name outa him fella. I pay Seelee, big fella master along
Balesuna, one case tobacco catch that fella Arunga. All right. Arunga
pay that fella case tobacco. Six pounds that fella Arunga pay. Alle
same one year more that fella Arunga work Berande. All right. Now he
catch ten fella whip three times. You fella Billy catch whip, give that
fella Arunga ten fella three times. All fella boys look see, all fella
Marys {3} look see; bime bye, they like run away they think strong fella
too much, no run away. Billy, strong fella too much ten fella three
times."

The house-boy extended the whip to him, but Billy did not take it.
Sheldon waited quietly. The eyes of all the cannibals were fixed upon
him in doubt and fear and eagerness. It was the moment of test, whereby
the lone white man was to live or be lost.

"Ten fella three times, Billy," Sheldon said encouragingly, though there
was a certain metallic rasp in his voice.

Billy scowled, looked up and looked down, but did not move.

"Billy!"

Sheldon's voice exploded like a pistol shot. The savage started
physically. Grins overspread the grotesq