ly would leave us no
chance to reach our boat and push off from them. Denviers saw them too,
and cried to me:--

"Quick, Harold, lend Hassan and me a hand!" I saw that they had made for
a huge piece of granite which was poised on a hollow, cup-like base, and
directly afterwards the three of us were behind it straining with all
our force to push it forward. The foremost savage had all but reached us
when, with one desperate and successful attempt, we sent the monster
stone crashing down upon the black, yelling horde!

We stopped and looked down at the havoc which had been wrought among
them; then we pressed on, for we knew that our advantage was likely to
be only of short duration, and that those who were uninjured would dash
over their fallen comrades and follow us in order to avenge them. Almost
immediately after we reached the spot where our boat was moored we saw
one of our pursuers appear, eagerly searching for our whereabouts. We
hastily set the sail to the breeze, which was blowing from the shore,
while the savage wildly urged the others, who had now reached him, to
dash into the water and spear us.

Holding their weapons between their teeth, fully twenty of the blacks
plunged into the sea and made a determined effort to reach us. They swam
splendidly, keeping their fierce eyes fixed upon us as they drew nearer
and nearer.

"Shall we shoot them?" I asked Denviers, as we saw that they were within
a short distance of us.

"We don't want to kill any more of these black man-eaters," he said;
"but we must make an example of one of them, I suppose, or they will
certainly spear us."

I watched the savage who was nearest to us. He reached the boat, and,
holding on by one of his black paws, raised himself a little, then
gripped his spear in the middle and drew it back. Denviers pointed his
pistol full at the savage and fired. He bounded completely out of the
water, then fell back lifeless among his companions! The death of one of
their number so suddenly seemed to disconcert the rest, and before they
could make another attack we were standing well out to sea. We saw them
swim back to the shore and line it in a dark, threatening mass,
brandishing their useless spears, until at last the rising waters hid
the island from our view.

"A sharp brush with the niggers, indeed!" said Denviers. "The worst of
it is that unless we are picked up before long by some vessel we must
make for some part of the island again, for we