hrough his gate, and in his kindness
make you to see with his eyes."

This last clause of my ultimatum did not seem to appeal to the priest,
who argued a while with Marama, though what he said we could not hear.
In the end he appeared to give way. At any rate Marama called out that
all should be done as we wished, and that meanwhile they prayed us
to intercede with Oro in the cave, and to keep back the ghosts from
haunting them, and to protect them from misfortune. I replied that we
would do our best, but could guarantee nothing since their offence was
very great.

Then, to show that the conversation was at an end, we walked away with
dignity, pushing Bastin in front of us, lest he should spoil the effect
by some of his ill-timed and often over-true remarks.

"That's capital," said Bickley, when we were out of hearing. "The enemy
has capitulated. We can stop here as long as we like, provisioned from
the mainland, and if for any reason we wish to leave, be sure of our
line of retreat."

"I don't know what you call capital," exclaimed Bastin. "It seems to me
that all the lies which Arbuthnot has just told are sufficient to bring
a judgment upon us. Indeed, I think that I will go back with Marama and
explain the truth."

"I never before knew anybody who was so anxious to be cooked and eaten,"
remarked Bickley. "Moreover, you are too late, for the canoe is a
hundred yards away by now, and you shan't have ours. Remember the
Pauline maxims, old fellow, which you are so fond of quoting, and be all
things to all men, and another that is more modern, that when you are at
Rome, you must do as the Romans do; also a third, that necessity has no
law, and for the matter of that, a fourth, that all is fair in love and
war."

"I am sure, Bickley, that Paul never meant his words to bear the debased
sense which you attribute to them--" began Bastin, but at this point I
hustled him off to light a fire--a process at which I pointed out he had
shown himself an expert.

We slept that night under the overhanging rock just to one side of the
cave, not in the mouth, because of the draught which drew in and out
of the great place. In that soft and balmy clime this was no hardship,
although we lacked blankets. And yet, tired though I was, I could
not rest as I should have done. Bastin snored away contentedly, quite
unaffected by his escape which to him was merely an incident in the
day's work; and so, too, slumbered Bickley, except that