a horribly long time to come down. I saw it
land, and the man's legs give under him as he crumpled. The niggers held
him up by sheer strength while he was hacked a couple of times more.
Then I got two more hacks on the head and decided that I was dead. So
did the brute that was hacking me. I was too helpless to move, and I lay
there and watched them removing the sentry's head. I must say they did
it slick enough. They were old hands at the business.

"The rifle firing from the boats had ceased, and I made no doubt that
they were finished off and that the end had come to everything. It was
only a matter of moments when they would return for my head. They were
evidently taking the heads from the sailors aft. Heads are valuable on
Malaita, especially white heads. They have the place of honor in the
canoe houses of the salt-water natives. What particular decorative
effect the bushmen get out of them I didn't know, but they prize them
just as much as the salt-water crowd.

"I had a dim notion of escaping, and I crawled on hands and knees to
the winch, where I managed to drag myself to my feet. From there I
could look aft and see three heads on top the cabin--the heads of three
sailors I had given orders to for months. The niggers saw me standing,
and started for me. I reached for my revolver, and found they had taken
it. I can't say that I was scared. I've been near to death several
times, but it never seemed easier than right then. I was half-stunned,
and nothing seemed to matter.

"The leading nigger had armed himself with a cleaver from the galley,
and he grimaced like an ape as he prepared to slice me down. But the
slice was never made. He went down on the deck all of a heap, and I saw
the blood gush from his mouth. In a dim way I heard a rifle go off and
continue to go off. Nigger after nigger went down. My senses began to
clear, and I noted that there was never a miss. Every time that the
rifle went off a nigger dropped. I sat down on deck beside the winch and
looked up. Perched in the crosstrees was Saxtorph. How he had managed
it I can't imagine, for he had carried up with him two Winchesters and
I don't know how many bandoliers of ammunition; and he was now doing the
one only thing in this world that he was fitted to do.

"I've seen shooting and slaughter, but I never saw anything like that.
I sat by the winch and watched the show. I was weak and faint, and it
seemed to be all a dream. Bang, bang, bang, bang, wen