few
hours' shooting on a large swamp, situated about three miles inland
from the village. One of the natives had told Rul that there were great
numbers of wild duck and plover there, and offered to guide me to the
place; so, telling Merriman that I would be back in time for dinner,
I started with the guide. The gun I had with me was a double-barrelled
pin-fire Lefaucheux breech-loader, and just before I left the cutter, I
put in a couple of cartridges, intending to have a shot at some cranes
which I saw walking about on the beach. Most fortunately for me, they
flew away before I could get near enough. Besides the gun, I brought
with me a Sharp's rifle, as the guide said that we should most likely
see a wild pig or two about the swamp. The rifle I gave to him to carry,
but the ten cartridges for it I put in my coat pocket, together with
about twenty cartridges for the gun.

"On landing at the village, I was met by the head man, who wanted to
know if I would buy a couple of pigs from him. I told him to take them
on board to the mate, who would pay him; then, the guide leading, we
struck out into the forest. After going about a mile or so, the nigger
was joined by half a dozen young bucks, all armed with spears and clubs.
I asked the guide, who spoke a little English, what they wanted; he
replied that they wished to see me shoot.

"'Very well,' I said, 'go ahead then, all of you.'

"The bucks grinned, but instead of going ahead stepped back to let me
pass, and fell in, in single file at the rear, the guide still leading.
Now, I didn't like that at all, and I turned round to tell them to go
in front of me; I was just in time to save myself from getting a spear
through my back--as it was, it whizzed through the side of my coat, and
in another second the nigger who threw it had a charge of shot through
his brains. Then, slewing round, I was just able to drop the guide, who
was running off with the rifle. I hit him in the back, and saw him fall,
then took cover behind a big tree to load again; but every other nigger
had vanished, and then I heard a sound that filled me with dread for
those on board the cutter--the loud, hoarse bellowing of conch shells.

"I ran over to the guide, who was lying where he had fallen. I don't
think he was mortally wounded, for he was quite thirty yards off when
I fired. However, I made certain of him by cracking his skull with a
long-handled club he carried. Then I loaded the Sharp's rifle, slu