m the point out there, and took it
for granted that somebody or other was here on shore wanting to be taken
off; and if you wish to come with us, we have directions to take you on
board our brig, which lies in the bay out there."

"Yes, indeed, I do; for I have been waiting here long enough almost to
have lost all account of time," answered the tall man. "I have a pretty
large family, however; and unless your brig is a good-sized one, I doubt
whether you can carry us all."

"What! have you got a wife and children living here?" asked Tarbox. "We
saw nothing of them as we came along."

"No, no, no!" answered the stranger; "I have no wife; and as for my
children, I cannot say that you would consider them as such. Probably,
however, you heard the voices of my family as you passed my house."

"Ho, ho! all those birds and beasts, you mean, friend!" said Tarbox.
"Well, as to that, as we have a gentleman on board, the owner of the
brig, who has a fancy that way, I do not think he will refuse to have as
many as the craft will hold. But it will take some little time, I
suspect, to build houses for them; for I suppose they are not tame
enough to be allowed to run at liberty about the decks?"

"Not exactly," answered the stranger. "Some of them have rather
quarrelsome dispositions, and they would be apt to fall out with each
other, and perhaps with the crew. However, a considerable number are
turned into mummies, though they fill somewhat large cages altogether;
and as I have spent so much of my time in collecting them, I have no
intention of leaving them behind. If you can take them, I will go with
you; but if not, I must get you to send another vessel to bring me off.
The craft which brought me here must either have been lost in a typhoon
or destroyed by pirates, for she did not return at the time appointed;
and after waiting month after month, and year after year, I almost gave
up all hopes of again seeing a civilised man. I have had visitors, to
be sure, on the island; but I did not like their looks, as I thought
they were more likely to stick their krisses into me than to carry me
away to a civilised place; and therefore I had to keep out of sight.
Still, at last I began to regret not being able to exhibit my treasures
to my fellow-men capable of appreciating them; and so I rigged that
flagstaff you saw, and hoisted a flag as a signal to any passing vessel
to put in here. However, most craft, I suppose, keep eithe