nd if we get back on board
I'll give every man-jack of you a dose of quinine. But now I shall say
no more about it, for I see you're all sorry for being such fools, and
are going to fall back into your work."

There was a low murmur of assent at this, and the captain spoke again:

"What say, Sir Humphrey?"

"I say, we seem to be leaving the canoes down the river well behind, but
those up stream are bearing down upon us fast."

"Then," said the captain, "they'd better look out, gentlemen, and keep
out of our way, for I mean to rush right upon them full sail. The prows
of these boats are pretty sharp, and their dug-outs don't take much to
send them to the bottom. I say, you Dan," he went on, "you'd better
serve round some biscuit and bacon to the lads, for they must be getting
peckish after what they've gone through. I say, Sir Humphrey, what do
you say to making a hand-grenade or two out of pound powder-tins and
pieces of rag?"

"To throw on board the canoes?" said Sir Humphrey: "horrible!"

"Quite true, sir; but it would be more horrible still if these savages
should manage to get the better of the crew of the `Jason' brig. What
do you say to that?"

"I give up," replied Sir Humphrey. "I hate the idea of slaughtering the
poor ignorant wretches, but self-preservation is the first law of
nature."

"Exactly so, sir. If we kill it won't be for the sake of killing."

"How is Jem's wound going on?" said Brace anxiously.

"You take no notice about that, sir," said the captain, with a peculiar
look. "He has got a hole in his leg made by an arrow, and I've doctored
it up just as I did your brother's, and laughed at him and told him it
served him right. You gentlemen had better take the same line. If he
sees that we look serious about it he'll take and die right off: he'll
kill himself with the belief that he's shot by a poisoned arrow."

"Is he?" said Brace, in an eager whisper.

"I didn't see the arrow made, sir, and I didn't see it dipped in
anything. What's more, I never saw the arrow at all, for the boys
pulled it out and chucked it away. Maybe it was poisoned; but you see
these arrows are only meant to kill birds, and what might kill a bird
won't do much harm to a man. I've done all I know for the wound, same
as we did for your brother's. He got well, and if we laugh at Jem he'll
get well too."

"The niggers are coming right down upon us, sir," said the first mate
from the other boat, "and evid