tongue--you are _not_
Christian. Moreover, I will batter your skull with my club, till it is
like the soft pulp of the bread-fruit."

"You're a cute fellar, as the Yankees say," remarked Jarwin, with a
slight smile. This being said in English, the Chief took no notice of
it, but glanced at his slave suspiciously.

"Big Chief," said Jarwin, after a short silence, "even before I was a
Christian, I had been taught by my mother to be ashamed of telling a
lie, so you've no occasion for to doubt me. But it's a hard thing to
stand by a countryman, specially in my pecooliar circumstances, an' not
let him know that you can speak to him. May I not be allowed to palaver
a bit with 'em? I wont ask 'em to take me from you."

"No," said the Chief sternly. "You came with me promising that you
would not even speak to the Cookee-men."

"Well, Big Chief," replied Jarwin, energetically, "you shall see that a
British seaman can stick to his promise. I'll be true to you. Honour
bright. I'll not give 'em a word of the English lingo if they was to
try to tear it out o' me wi' red hot pincers. I'll content myself wi'
lookin' at 'em and listenin' to 'em. It'll be a comfort to hear my
mother-tongue, anyhow."

"Good," replied the Chief, "I trust you."

The interval of rest coming to an end at this point, the conversation
ceased and the paddles were resumed.

It was a magnificent day. The great Pacific was in that condition of
perfect repose which its name suggests. Not a breath of air ruffled the
wide sheet of water, which lay spread out like a vast circular
looking-glass to reflect the sky, and it did reflect the sky with such
perfect fidelity, that the clouds and cloudlets in the deep were exact
counterparts of those that floated in the air, while the four canoes,
resting on their own reflections, seemed to be suspended in the centre
of a crystal world, which was dazzlingly lit up by two resplendent suns.

This condition of calm lasted the whole of that day and night, and the
heat was very great; nevertheless the warriors--of whom there were from
forty to fifty in each canoe--did not cease to paddle for an instant,
save when the short spells of rest came round, and when, twice during
the day, they stopped to eat a hasty meal.

When the sun set they still continued to paddle onwards, the only
difference being that instead of passing over a sea of crystal, they
appeared to traverse an ocean of amber and burnished gold. All