e two hundred yards from the nearest canoe. They were
experts in the hurling of spears, those savages; but it was no part of
my plan to run the risk of getting either Simpson or myself hurt--two of
us against some five hundred left no room for quixotic displays of
daring; and we were careful to keep beyond the range of their spears,
every one of which dropped harmlessly into the water at varying
distances from us, the nearest of them all falling short by about thirty
or forty fathoms. But if I was anxious that neither of us should be
hurt, I was also anxious to avoid hurting the savages, as far as might
be, my object being not so much to destroy them as to prevent them from
landing on our island, if possible; and I thought that this might
perhaps be done, and the savages compelled to retreat, by drilling their
canoes so full of bullet holes that at least some of them would sink,
when the remainder would become so crowded that it would be found
impossible to continue paddling to windward--for I took it for granted
that if one or two of their canoes sank, their crews would be picked up
by the rest. Of course there was the risk that, in endeavouring to sink
their canoes, I might wound or even kill a few savages; but that was
their lookout, not mine.

Therefore, when our antagonists opened the ball by casting spears at us,
I retaliated by seizing my gun and aiming at the water line of the
nearest canoe, expecting the bullet to pass right through her, leaving
two holes which would admit quite a quantity of water, unless the
savages happened to possess the means to plug them. My shot went true,
for as the smoke blew away I saw a small white puncture show in the
bottom of the canoe for an instant before it was hidden by the roll of
the craft. A loud yell of astonishment greeted my first essay, showing
that these particular savages had never before had experience of
firearms; but the yell was not wholly the result of astonishment either,
for I saw a native clap his hand to his leg, and shrewdly guessed that
the bullet had punctured him as well as the canoe. I had time to drop
the discharged gun, seize the loaded one, and fire a second shot before
we were fairly past that particular craft; but that second shot was less
successful than the first, for it missed the canoe. However, it caught
a native, who sprang convulsively to his feet, his hands clutching his
head, as, wheeling half-round, he staggered backward and tumbled