nce.

Upon entering the hut, the benevolent old king commanded it to be
cleared; and then proceeded to examine the sufferer.

The skull proved to be very badly fractured; in one place, splintered.

"Let me mend it," said Samoa, with ardor.

And being told of his experience in such matters, Borabolla
surrendered the patient.

With a gourd of water, and a tappa cloth, the one-armed Upoluan
carefully washed the wound; and then calling for a sharp splinter of
bamboo, and a thin, semi-transparent cup of cocoa-nut shell, he went
about the operation: nothing less than the "Tomoti" (head-mending),
in other words the trepan.

The patient still continuing insensible, the fragments were
disengaged by help of a bamboo scalpel; when a piece of the drinking
cup--previously dipped in the milk of a cocoanut--was nicely fitted
into the vacancy, the skin as nicely adjusted over it, and the
operation was complete.

And now, while all present were crying out in admiration of Samoa's
artistic skill, and Samoa himself stood complacently regarding his
workmanship, Babbalanja suggested, that it might be well to ascertain
whether the patient survived. When, upon sounding his heart, the
diver was found to be dead.

The bystanders loudly lamented; but declared the surgeon a man of
marvelous science.

Returning to Borabolla's, much conversation ensued, concerning the
sad scene we had witnessed, which presently branched into a learned
discussion upon matters of surgery at large.

At length, Samoa regaled the company with a story; for the truth of
which no one but him can vouch, for no one but him was by, at the
time; though there is testimony to show that it involves nothing at
variance with the customs of certain barbarous tribes.

Read on.

CHAPTER XCVII
Faith And Knowledge

A thing incredible is about to be related; but a thing may be
incredible and still be true; sometimes it is incredible because it
is true. And many infidels but disbelieve the least incredible
things; and many bigots reject the most obvious. But let us hold fast
to all we have; and stop all leaks in our faith; lest an opening, but
of a hand's breadth, should sink our seventy-fours. The wide Atlantic
can rush in at one port-hole; and if we surrender a plank, we
surrender the fleet. Panoplied in all the armor of St. Paul, morion,
hauberk, and greaves, let us fight the Turks inch by inch, and yield
them naught but our corpse.

But let us not turn round