f their village. When we
arrived there, they gave me a house to myself, and would have allowed me
to choose a wife had I been so disposed; but I declined the honour. I
at once set to work to gain the good opinion of the ladies, and for this
object divided my somewhat cumbrous neckcloth among them, while I
doctored them and their children on every opportunity. My coats I
divided among the men, except one suit which I kept for myself. I
thought that I should still more ingratiate myself with them, if I
dressed as they did; and as I was always somewhat of a dandy, I went to
the extreme of Dyak fashion, except in the matter of putting those big
rings in my ears, and chewing betel-nut; in fact I now take the lead in
dress, and am looked upon as the very pink of perfection. I have
learned their language, and adapted myself to their ways; but I have
begun to get rather tired of this sort of life, and have been lately
considering how I can best take my departure, and in what direction I
shall steer my course."

"I hope that you will accompany us my dear fellow, and return again to
civilised life," I observed. "But how could you encourage those people,
in the savage work in which they were engaged?"

"I am not surprised at the question, Seaworth," he replied, gravely;
"but you must not think so ill of me as to suppose that I encouraged
them in murdering their countrymen. In the first place, you must
understand that they had been previously attacked by this tribe, who
carried off a number of heads, burnt their cottages, and cut down their
fruit-trees. They believe retaliation to be justifiable,--so do
civilised nations; and I knew that it would be hopeless to preach
forbearance to them: so I accompanied them to doctor up any who were
hurt, and to try and save the lives of their prisoners."

"I am sure that we ought not to find fault with Mr Blount, for he saved
our lives, at all events," interposed Eva.

I agreed with her, and assured Blount, that under the circumstances he
had described, he might, I thought, even have assisted his friends in
punishing their enemies, not in a revengeful spirit, but as the only
means of preventing a similar attack, and for preserving peace. We had
now arrived at the end of the lake; and landing, we left the canoe to
its fate. The war party had not arrived, and with some anxiety we
waited for them, fearing that they might have gone by some other route;
for Blount asserted that they ha