o chance of gettin' ashore and takin' to their cursed
woods ag'in, away they all goes helter-skelter for our passage, and
directly they was fairly in it, I heaves the boat to, loads the gun
ag'in, and a'ter 'em once more, for I was detarmined that I'd drive 'em
fairly out to sea, and then blow 'em all to hell, where they come from;
and--to make a long story short--that's just what I did, lad: bearing
down upon a canoe until I _couldn't_ miss her, and then plumping a shell
into her at one end and out at t'other. I tarred the whole lot with the
same brush, except one little craft with only four hands in her, and she
I chased clean out to sea altogether, givin' 'em a shot close past 'em,
as a freshener of their energies, just as I hauled my wind; and if ever
they gets back to their own country--wherever 'tis--I'll bet my life
they'll never be for coming to _this here_ island ag'in."

Such was Bob's story, and such the end of the adventure, for though we
remained at the island nearly seven weeks, we never saw any further
signs of savages.

In about a month from the date of the adventure, I had so far recovered
as to be able to hobble about a little, a few yards only at a time; and
then I began to regain strength rapidly. By the end of the following
week I was able, with the assistance of Bob's strong arm, to get as far
as the cascade every morning, and take a bath; and this, too, helped me
on wonderfully towards entire convalescence. My wounds had closed, and
were by this time so far scarred over that I was able to dispense with
all dressing and bandages, and we began to talk about making another
start, finally arranging to do so as soon as the new moon attained her
first quarter, which would be in another fortnight.

It was, I believe, on the Sunday following this arrangement that Bob set
off the first thing after breakfast to attempt an ascent of the
mountain, he having discovered, as he believed, a spot at which an
active man with good nerves might surmount the natural impediments which
existed near the base.

I cautioned him to be very careful for our sakes as well as his own, for
I was still too weak to afford him any very effectual assistance in the
event of a mishap: and a broken limb half-way up the mountain-side would
have been death to him just at that time.

Ella and I were, of course, society for each other, and we wandered
about the lawn-like ravine and reposed at frequent intervals beneath the
grateful