at the top of it for our trouble. Having made a
band of sufficient strength with our handkerchiefs, Pat commenced his
ascent. He had got some way up, Kiddle having helped him as far as he
could reach, when suddenly a dozen dark-skinned savages sprang out from
among the trees, and before we could draw our pistols they had brought
us all to the ground. Forthwith they proceeded to bind our arms behind
us. Pat, seeing there was no use going higher, came gliding down the
tree, and was secured in the same manner. We endeavoured to make them
understand that we had desired to do them no harm, and that if the
cocoa-nuts were theirs, we should be happy to pay for them. Whether
they understood us or not I cannot say, but without more ado, three of
them attaching themselves to Pember, and a like number to each of the
other men--one black fellow, however, only taking charge of Dicky and
another of me--they dragged us off into the interior. In vain Pember
struggled and expostulated. The fierce gleam of their dark eyes, and
the keen blades of their glittering creeses which they flourished before
us, showed that it would be dangerous to dispute the point with them.
All we could do, therefore, was to move forward as they insisted, hoping
that, when our absence was discovered, a strong party might be sent in
pursuit of us, and that we might be recovered. We had not gone far when
they were joined by another band of a similar number, and we could not
help suspecting that they had been watching us all the time, but seeing
so many armed men round the boats had not ventured to attack us. This
made us still more regret our folly in having ventured alone into the
country. On, on we went. We had great reason to fear that they had no
intention of restoring us. At length they stopped at a village of
bamboo huts, covered with cocoa-nut leaves, from which a number of women
and children came forth to gaze at us. The children went shrieking away
when they saw our white skins, while the women advanced cautiously and
touched us, apparently to ascertain whether the red and white would come
off.

"Faith, they take us for white niggers!" said Pat Brady, observing the
look of astonishment, not unmixed with disgust, with which the women
regarded us. "It's to be hoped they won't set us to work as we do the
blacks, though, to be sure, it would be better than eating us, and I
don't like the looks of those fellows at all, at all."

"Depend upon