thought that he was
keeping me to kill at his leisure, just as a housewife does a pig or a
turkey, when he wanted to eat me. I cannot even now describe the
dreadful scenes I witnessed when the cannibal monsters cooked and
devoured the poor fellows they had so treacherously slaughtered. What
was my dismay, also, when a few days afterwards some more bodies of
white men were brought in! I thought that they had killed you all; and
it was only when I found that there were ten instead of five bodies,
that I hoped I might have been mistaken.

"The man who had captured me treated me kindly, and fed me well. At
first I thought he might have had his reasons (and very unsatisfactory
they would have been to me) for doing the latter; but this idea I
banished (as it was not a pleasant fine, and took away my appetite) when
I found that he did not partake of the horrible banquets with his
countrymen. He was constantly visited also in the evening by a chief,
who evidently looked on them with disgust, and always looked at me most
kindly, and spoke to me in the kindest tones, though I could not
understand what he said. One evening, after he and my master had been
talking some time, he got up and made the sign of the cross on my brow,
and then on his own, and then on that of my master. Then I guessed that
I must have fallen among Christians, and that this was the reason I was
treated so kindly. I understood also by the signs he made that you all
were well, and that he would do his best to protect you.

"One day he came and told me to follow him into the woods. My master's
hut was some way from the other habitations, so that we could go out
without of necessity being observed. It was, however, necessary to be
cautious. What was my delight when he took me to a height, and showing
me a vessel in the distance, pointed to the fort, and signed to me to
run and join you as fast as I could! You know all the rest."

Jerry at different times afterwards gave me very interesting accounts of
various things he had observed among the savages of the Fijis, but I
have not now space to repeat them.

How delightful it was to find ourselves once more on board the fine
steady old ship, with a well-disciplined crew, and kind, considerate
officers! Our sufferings and trials had taught us to appreciate these
advantages: and I believe both Jerry and I were grateful for our
preservation, and for the blessings we now enjoyed.

We had a very quick a