yet seen. He was a perfect
giant, considerably above six feet high, and broad in proportion. He
wore no clothing on the upper part of his person, but his legs were
encased in a pair of old canvas trousers, which had been made for a man
of ordinary stature, so that his huge bony ankles were largely exposed
to view.

Just as Phil and Rokens stopped to take a good look at him before
passing on, a terrific yell issued from the bushes, and instantly after,
a negro ran towards the black giant and administered to him a severe
kick on the thigh, following it up with a cuff on the side of the head,
at the same time howling something in the native tongue, which our
friends of course did not understand. This man was immediately followed
by three other blacks, one of whom pulled the giant's hair, the other
pulled his nose, and the third spat in his face!

It is needless to remark that the sailors witnessed this unprovoked
assault with unutterable amazement. But the most remarkable part of it
was, that the fellow, instead of knocking all his assailants down, as he
might have done without much trouble, quietly submitted to the
indignities heaped upon him; nay, he even smiled upon his tormentors,
who increased in numbers every minute, running out from among the bushes
and surrounding the unoffending man, and uttering wild shouts as they
maltreated him.

"Wot's he bin doin'?" inquired Rokens, turning to his black companion.
But Rokens received no answer, for Neepeelootambo was looking on at the
scene with an expression so utterly woe-begone and miserable that one
would imagine he was himself suffering the rough usage he witnessed.

"Arrah! ye don't appear to be chairful," said Briant, laughing, as he
looked in the negro's face. "This is a quare counthrie, an' no
mistake;--it seems to be always blowin' a gale o' surprises. Wot's
wrong wid ye, Bumble?"

The negro groaned.

"Sure that may be a civil answer, but it's not o' much use. Hallo! what
air they doin' wid the poor cratur now?"

As he spoke the crowd seized the black giant by the arms and neck and
hair, and dragged him away towards the village, leaving our friends in
solitude.

"A very purty little scene," remarked Phil Briant when they were out of
sight; "very purty indade, av we only knowed wot it's all about."

If the surprise of the two sailors was great at what they had just
witnessed, it was increased tenfold by the subsequent behaviour of their
negro comp