s, Mas' Don; but it
don't matter. Shall we suck the eggs raw?"

He made a gesture as if to break one, but Ngati snatched it away.

"No, no!" he cried sharply, and snatched the other away.

"Pig!" ejaculated Jem. "Well, I do call that greedy."

But if the chief was greedy over the eggs, which he secured in a
roughly-made bag, of palm strips, ingeniously woven, he was generous
enough over the fruit and palm, upon which they made a fair breakfast;
after which Ngati examined Jem's wounds, and then signed to him to come
down to the side of the stream, seizing him by the wrist, and half
dragging him in his energetic way.

"Is he going to drown me, Mas' Don?"

"No, no, Jem. I know: he wants to bathe your wound."

So it proved, for Ngati made him lie down by a pool, and tenderly washed
the injuries, ending by applying some cool bruised leaves to the places,
and binding them up with wild flax.

This done, he examined Don's head, smiling with satisfaction because it
was no worse.

"Say, Mas' Don, it do feel comf'table. Why, he's quite a doctor, eh?"

"What?" continued Jem, staring, as Ngati made signs.

"He wants you to bathe his wounds. Your arm's painful, Jem; I'll do
it."

Ngati lay down by the pool, and, pulling up some moss, Don bathed a
couple of ugly gashes and a stab, that was roughly plugged with fibre.
The wounds were so bad that it was a wonder to both that the great
fellow could keep about; but he appeared to bear them patiently enough,
smiling with satisfaction as his attendant carefully washed them, and in
imitation of what he had seen, applied bruised leaves and moss, and
finally bound them up with native flax.

Don shuddered more than once as he performed his task, and was glad when
it was over, Jem looking on calmly the while.

"Why, Mas' Don, a chap at home would want to go into hospital for less
than that."

"Yes, Jem; but these men seem so healthy and well, they heal up quickly,
and bear their hurts as if nothing was wrong."

"Sleep," said Ngati, suddenly; and he signed to Don to lie down and to
Jem to keep watch, while he lay down at once in the mossy nook close to
the river, and hidden by overhanging canopies of ferns.

"Oh, all right, Mas' Don, I don't mind," said Jem; "only I was just as
tired as him."

"Let me take the first watch, Jem."

"No, no; it's all right, Mas' Don. I meant you to lie down and rest,
only he might ha' offered to toss for first go."

"Call me then, at