with his usual rashness, had climbed to
the summit of one of the tallest trees, and suddenly cried out, 'Fritz,
prepare your signs, the savages are landing. Oh! what black ugly
creatures they are, and nearly naked! you ought to dress yourself like
them, to make friends with them. You can stain your skin with these,'
throwing me down branches of a sort of fruit of a dark purple colour,
large as a plum, with a skin like the mulberry. 'I have been tasting
them, they are very nauseous, and they have stained my fingers black;
rub yourself well with the juice of this fruit, and you will be a
perfect savage,'

"I agreed immediately. He descended from the tree while I undressed, and
with his assistance I stained myself from head to foot, as you see me;
but don't be alarmed, a single dip in the sea will make me a European
again. The good-natured Jack then helped to dress me in a sort of tunic
made of large leaves, and laughed heartily when he looked at me, calling
me _Omnibou_, of whom he had seen a picture, which he declared I exactly
resembled. I then wished to disguise him in the same way, but he would
not consent; he declared that, when he met with mamma and Francis, he
should fly to embrace them, and that he should alarm and disgust them in
such a costume. He said I could protect him if the savages wished to
devour him: they were now at hand, and we went forward, Jack following
me with my bundle of clothes under his arm. I had slung my kangaroo-skin
bag of powder and provision on my shoulders, and I was glad to see that
most of the savages wore the skin of that animal, for the most part
spread out like a mantle over their shoulders; few of them had other
clothes, excepting one, who appeared to be the chief, and had a tunic of
green rushes, neatly woven. I tried to recollect all the words of savage
language I could, but very few occurred to me. I said at first '_tayo,
tayo_'. I don't know whether they comprehended me, but they paid me
great attention, evidently taking me for a savage; only one of them
wished to seize my gun; but I held it firmly, and on the chief speaking
a word to him, he drew back. They spoke very rapidly, and I saw by their
looks they spoke about us; they looked incessantly at Jack, repeating,
'_To maiti tata_.' Jack imitated all their motions, and made some
grimaces which seemed to amuse them. I tried in vain to attract their
attention. I had observed a handkerchief twisted round the head of him
who seem