' And the seamen, throwing down the
coco-nuts, rushed out of the palm grove to rescue their shipmates.

They were only just in time, for the banks of the little stream were
covered with naked savages, who had sprung out of the thick undergrowth
upon the watering party, and ere the boat could be pushed off two of the
poor sailors had been savagely slaughtered. Fortunately for the captain
and his party, they were nearer to the boat, when they made their
appearance, than were the natives, and, plunging into the water, and
holding their muskets over their heads, they reached her in safety, and
at once opened fire, whilst the rest of the crew bent to the oars.

But the danger was not yet over, for as soon as the boat was out of
reach of the showers of spears sent at her from the shore, a number
of canoes appeared round a bend of the mountainous coast. They had
evidently been sent to cut off the white men's retreat. And then began
the race for life to the ship which had been witnessed by Baringa and
his people from the mainland.

Maurice, from his tree, had heard the yells of the savages and the
gunshots, and was about to descend and follow the captain and his
shipmates, when he heard a rush of bodies through the palm grove, and
saw beneath him forty or fifty natives, all armed with clubs and spears.
They were a horrible-looking lot, for they were quite naked and the
lips of all were stained a deep red from the juice of the betel-nut, and
their dull reddish-brown bodies were daubed over with yellow and white
stripes. This party had perhaps meant to surprise the captain and his
men as they were getting the coco-nuts, for, finding them gone, they at
once rushed out of the grove in pursuit. Fortunately for Maurice they
were too excited to think of looking about them, else his end would have
come very quickly.

For nearly ten minutes the lad remained quiet, listening to the
sounds of the fighting, and in fearful doubt as to his best course of
action--whether to make a bold dash and try to find his way to the
boat, or remain in the tree till a rescue party was sent from the ship.
Suddenly the thundering report of one of the ship's guns made him peer
seaward through the branches of his retreat; and there, to his delight,
he caught a brief view of the boat. Again the report of another gun
pealed out, and a wild screaming cry from the natives told him that the
shot had done some execution.

'I must get out of this,' he thought,