m
afterwards at the feet of the young female; I cannot say our fair
friend, for she was almost as dark as a sloe berry. We then lifted them
up again, and inquired of her by signs what we were to do with them.
She told us in the same dumb language that we were to accompany her, and
pointing to the path up which we had come, she bade us go before,
walking herself between us and the men, as if to protect us from them.
We went on and on, and now found from the time we took to reach her hut,
that we must have been going inland instead of towards the village on
the sea-shore. This naturally made the savages suppose we were
attempting to run away.

On arriving at the hut she again addressed the men, who thereon began to
cut up the animals.

They carried away the whole of the cuscus and part of the kangaroo. The
other part we supposed she had claimed as her perquisite. She then made
signs to us that we were to remain. Who she was we could not tell, but
we concluded that she was a chief's daughter, or, at all events, a
person of great influence and probably of rank among them. As soon as
the men had gone, she lighted a fire and cooked the remaining part of
the kangaroo, placing a savoury piece before us on some palm-leaves, to
which she added some well-made cakes of sago, far superior in flavour to
those we had manufactured.

She now signified to us that we were to build a hut for ourselves in
which to pass the night, and took us to a spot where we found an
abundance of bamboos, and the large palm leave? I have before
described. She seemed much amused at our awkwardness in putting up the
building, and quickly set to work to show us the way, so that in a short
time we had a comfortable little hut for a sleeping place.

"I wish we knew her name!" observed Oliver. "I have often read of acts
like these, and of the way in which women have saved the lives of people
as, I am sure, she has done ours. They are the same all the world over.
We have now a proof of it."

We were in hopes that after this we should be employed entirely by the
kind lady, for lady she was in her look and manner, though she had but
few garments and no ornaments.

The next day, however, Prince Frizzlepate made his appearance, and
ordered us to go off fishing. She nodded to us as much as to tell us
that we had better do so, and accordingly we entered the canoes which we
had used before. We had even more than our usual success, and returned
with