rying out loudly amid the shouts and chattering of a number of
natives. I soon recognised the voice of Jack Nobs, who had, I had
hoped, made his escape in the boats. The people, seeing me accompanied
by guards, made way for Jack, who ran towards me, crying out--

"Oh, save me, Mr Braithwaite! save me, sir! These savinges are a-going
to cut off my head, or to hang me up and cook and eat me. They eat
people in these parts, and they look as if they would make nothing of
devouring me."

In vain I tried to pacify him. He seemed to fear that the natives were
going to treat me in the same way he thought that they were about to
treat him.

"But what made you come back, Jack?" I asked. "I thought that you had
gone off to the ship."

"What, leave you all alone among the savinges!" he answered, looking up
reproachfully at me. "No, no, sir. After you have been so kind to me,
and always took me with you wherever you've been, and we was nearly all
drowned together! No, no, if harm is to come of it, I says to myself,
I'll go shares with Mr Braithwaite, whatever happens; so, when the
boats shoved off, I scud away, and when the men called me to come along
with them, and not to mind you, for that I could do you no good, I
wouldn't go back, but kept beckoning them to be off; so away they went,
and I ran up in shore and hid myself. The savinges, howsomdever, found
me out at last, and as long as they thought that they should get hold of
the ship they treated me civil enough, as they might a pet monkey; but
when they found that they could not catch her, they turned their rage on
me, and what they're going to do with us I'm sure I don't know. Oh
dear! oh dear!"

Jack's fears were very natural, for the dark-skinned, half-naked
Javanese, with their glittering kreeses or daggers in their hands, which
they flourished about while they vociferated loudly, were very
ferocious-looking fellows.

"They are disappointed," said the Dutchman, "at the escape of your ship,
and they accuse the boy of being the cause of the boats going off and
giving her warning. Let him, however, keep close to me, and I will do
my best to protect him."

My new friend, who, by-the-bye, told me his name was Peter Van Deck, now
addressed the people and told them that the boy was not to blame;
whatever he had done was in consequence of the orders he had received,
and that he had no intention of offending them. I had slipped a few
small pieces of coin, whic