ipe down the legs, which gave them the appearance of being
clad in tights; others had marks round the ankles and insteps, which
looked like tight-fitting and elegant boots. Their faces were also
tattooed, and their breasts were very profusely marked with every
imaginable species of device--muskets, dogs, birds, pigs, clubs, and
canoes, intermingled with lozenges, squares, circles, and other
arbitrary figures.

The women were not tattooed so much as the men, having only a few marks
on their feet and arms. But I must say, however objectionable this
strange practice may be, it nevertheless had this good effect--that it
took away very much from their appearance of nakedness.

Next day, while we were returning from the woods to our schooner, we
observed Romata rushing about in the neighbourhood of his house,
apparently mad with passion.

"Ah!" said Bill to me, "there he's at his old tricks again. That's his
way when he gets drink. The natives make a sort of drink o' their own,
and it makes him bad enough; but when he gets brandy he's like a wild
tiger. The captain, I suppose, has given him a bottle, as usual, to
keep him in good-humour. After drinkin' he usually goes to sleep, and
the people know it well, and keep out of his way for fear they should
waken him. Even the babies are taken out of earshot; for when he's
waked up he rushes out, just as you see him now, and spears or clubs the
first person he meets."

It seemed at the present time, however, that no deadly weapon had been
in his way, for the infuriated chief was raging about without one.
Suddenly he caught sight of an unfortunate man who was trying to conceal
himself behind a tree. Rushing towards him, Romata struck him a
terrible blow on the head, which knocked out the poor man's eye and also
dislocated the chief's finger. The wretched creature offered no
resistance; he did not even attempt to parry the blow. Indeed, from
what Bill said, I found that he might consider himself lucky in having
escaped with his life, which would certainly have been forfeited had the
chief been possessed of a club at the time.

"Have these wretched creatures no law among themselves," said I, "which
can restrain such wickedness?"

"None," replied Bill. "The chief's word is law. He might kill and eat
a dozen of his own subjects any day for nothing more than his own
pleasure, and nobody would take the least notice of it."

This ferocious deed took place within sight of