aking on board a cargo of pepper. Her captain, Mr. Endicott, and
crew numbered fifteen men. There being no harbor, the vessel was about
half a mile from shore. The day was oppressively hot and no one on the
_Friendship_ put forth more exertion than was absolutely necessary. Even
the swarthy natives seemed to languish in the flaming heat and displayed
less vigor in bringing out the pepper in their boats than they did when
the sun beat down upon them with its usual rigor.

Captain Endicott understood the treacherous nature of the Malays, and he
and his crew kept sharp watch of those who were given the management of
the vessel's boats, owing to the difficult character of the coast which
made such a course necessary.

The trade in pepper was almost the only one in which Qualla Battoo
engaged. Captain Endicott, his second mate and four seamen were on
shore at the trading station, a little way up the river, superintending
the weighing of the pepper. The first mate and the rest of the crew
waited on the vessel to receive and stow away the cargo. The work had
hardly begun when a suspicious proceeding caught the eye of Captain
Endicott.

The first boat, after receiving its load, passed the short distance
necessary down the river to the sea, where, instead of rowing directly
out to the ship, it turned up the coast and took on board more men. The
Captain concluded the crew needed this additional help to work their way
through the heavy surf. But, not wholly satisfied, he told two of his
men to go nearer the shore, keep their eyes on the boat and report to
him anything that looked wrong.

Captain Endicott, from his position, was unable to catch the full
significance of the first action of the natives in charge of the
outgoing boat, for, instead of taking on board more help, the whole
unarmed party stepped ashore and twice as many fully armed warriors took
their places. They carefully concealed their weapons and the Americans
on the vessel made the same mistake as their captain in believing they
were merely the additions necessary to help work the craft through the
surf.

They tied fast to the gangway and most of them climbed over the side
with their daggers hidden in their clothing. The mate would have stopped
them, but they pretended not to understand his words and acted as if
interested in the appearance of the guns and rigging. Their conduct was
so natural that the mate and his men gave their whole attention to
taking the