terrible,' I said.
"`Well, now,' said James, `it strikes me talkin' about it isn't goin' tohelp us. Charles Halcott, I served on board a man-o'-war for sevenyears.'
"`Yes, James.'
"`Well, sir, I know what they'd do now in a case like this.'
"`Yes, James.'
"`They'd muster their forces, and prepare for 'ventualities.'
"`You see, gentlemen,' he added, `we may have a bit o' good, solidfightin' to do. Heaven knows that, if it would do any good, I'd gird upmy loins and go all unarmed, save with the Word o' God--my mother'sBible--among those poor, benighted heathens, and try to bring 'em totheir senses. But I fear that would do but little good. When we goamong the more humble and simple savages of lonely islands in the sea,or on the mainland of Africa itself, our work o' conversion is easy,because the creatures have no form o' religion to place against thegospel. But these head-hunters--and I know them of old--have their ownghastly, blood-stained rites and sacrifices--I cannot call it religion,sir--and these they set up as an awful barrier against the glad tidingswe fain would bring to their doors, to their lives.
"`No, gentlemen, we may have to crack skulls before we get the Word in.But to save those helpless ladies Is a duty, a sacred duty we owe to ourown white race, as well as to our own consciences, for we'd ne'er behappy if we didn't try.'
"`Heaven grant,' I said, `they may still be alive!'
"`That we must find out,' said James. `Now, sir, shall we call allhands, and see to rifles and ammunition?'
"James's suggestion was at once acted upon.
"The _Sea Flower_ was a very large barque, and once had been afull-rigged ship. And our hands were more numerous than are generallycarried, for many were working their voyage out, and might have beencalled passengers.
"So now forty bold fellows, including two strong and sturdy black men,and the negro boy we called the cook's mate, put in an appearance, anddrew shyly aft. There were, in addition to these, Captain Smithson andhis four men.
"But these latter we determined the savages must not see, else theirsuspicions would at once be raised, and, instead of our being able toact peacefully and by strategy, we should have at once to declarered-eyed war.
"`Will you speak first?' I said to Captain Smithson.
"Without a word he strode forward, and, when he held up his hand, themen came crowding round him.
"`Men of the _Sea Flower_!' he began, `I am going to tell you a story.It is short and simple, but also a very sad one. Maybe you know most ofthe outs and ins and particulars of it already. My men must have toldyou all about our voyage and our lady passengers.'
"`Repeat, repeat!' cried the men; `we would have it all again from yourown lips, sir.'
"Briefly and pathetically Smithson did so, relating to them all theparticulars we already know.
"`Men,' he continued, `you are Christians, and you are Englishmen. Itis on this latter fact I rely chiefly, in case we have to fight with thesavages of those Unfortunate Islands. The elder of the two ladies weare going to try to save is English, though she married an American,though her home was on the Pacific slope, and her innocent and beautifuldaughter was born in San Francisco. They are your country-people, then,as much as ours. But, apart from that, when I say they are women inbondage and distress, I have said enough, I know, to appeal to the braveheart of every Englishman who now stands before me.'
"A wild, heroic shout was the only reply.
"`Thank you,' said Smithson, `for that expression of feeling! and I willonly add that these ladies, especially the younger, were, all the wayout, the light and life of our poor, lost yacht, and that, by theirwinning ways, they made themselves beloved both fore and aft.'
"`Now, lads,' cried James, and as he spoke he seemed a head taller thanI had ever seen him, `if we've got to fight, why, then, we'll fight.But against these terrible savages we can't fight with porridge-sticks.Luckily, in our cargo we have a hundred good rifles, and that is two foreach of us; and we have revolvers, too, and plenty of ammunition. Allgood, mind you; for I chose the whole cargo myself. So now, bo's'n,pipe up the guns; and this afternoon, men, and every day till we touchat the Unfortunate Islands, I'll put you through your drill--which,bein' an old navy man, I fancy I'm capable of doing. Are you allwilling?'
"The cheer that shook the ship from stem to stern was a truly Britishone. It was their only answer, and the only answer needed or required.
"So the drilling was commenced, and entered into with great spirit.After all, this drill was merely preparation for `possible'ventualities,' as honest James called it, for fighting would be ourvery last resort, and we earnestly prayed that we might not be driven toit.
"At last, and early one morning, just as the sun was beginning to pencilthe feathery clouds with gold and green and crimson, land was discoveredon the lee bow.
"I brought the big telescope which James had named Mons Meg to bear uponit. Then I handed Meg to Smithson. He looked at the land long andearnestly, and glanced up at me with beaming face.
"`That's the principal island, Captain Halcott,' he said; `the king'sown. How well we have hit it!'
"That same forenoon we cast anchor in Treachery Bay, close to the spotwhere the yacht had lain not many weeks before.
"Our sails were furled in quite a business-like way. We wanted to showthe savages that we were not one whit afraid of them, that we had cometo stay for a short spell, and hadn't the remotest intention of runningaway.
"That you may better understand the shape or configuration of thisstrange island, gentlemen, here I show you a rough sketch-map. Thiswill enable you also to follow more easily our subsequent adventures inthe fastnesses of these terrible savages.
"Rude and simple though this plan is, a word or two will suffice toexplain it. The island trends west and east, and is not more thansixteen miles long by about ten to twelve in width. It is divided intotwo almost equal parts by a very rapid and dark-rolling river, whichrushes through rocky gorges with inconceivable speed, forming many athundering cataract as it fights its way to the sea. It is fed from thewaters that flow from the mountains, and, probably, by subterraneansprings. The whole western portion of the island, with the exception ofsome green woods around the bay, is pretty low, but covered throughoutwith the remains of a black and burned forest. This forest is supposedby the natives to be inhabited by fearsome demons and witches, and isnever visited, except for the purpose of sorcery by the medicine-men ofthe tribe, and to bury the dead. In the centre of the eastern portionof the island, which is beautifully clad with woodlands, and rugged andwild in the extreme, is a lake with one small, lonely isle; and aroundthis the mountains tower their highest, but are clad to their verysummits with forest trees, many of them bearing the most luscious offruits, and all draped with wild flowers, and sweetly haunted by birdand bee.
"The only things else in the map I wish to draw your attention to,gentlemen, are the parallel lines. These mark the spot where was theonly bridge leading into the fastnesses of these savages, and the onlymode of communication with the lower land and bay, without walking roundby the head of the river, or following its course to the sea andcrossing in a boat.
"This bridge was primitive in the extreme, consisting merely of threestraight tree stems, and a rude life-line composed of the twisted withesof a kind of willow.
"I have sad reason to remember that bridge, and shall not forget itwhile life lasts.
"I have said nothing in my story yet about Lord Augustus Fitzmantle.But it is time to do so. Lord Augustus was our cook's mate. It is wellto give a nigger boy a high-sounding name, and, if possible, a title.He always tries to act up to it. Lord Augustus was very, very black.The other niggers were black enough certainly, but they looked brownbeside his merry, laughing little lordship. Yes, always laughing,always showing those white teeth of his and rolling his expressive eyes,and good-tempered all day long. Even a kick from the cook only made himrub a little and laugh the more. Lord Augustus wore a string ofsky-blue beads abo
ut his neck, and on warm days he wore very littleelse. But if Lord Augustus was black, he was also bright. The sunshineglittered and glanced on his rounded arms and cheeks, and he hadsunshine in his heart as well. It goes without saying he was the pet ofthe _Sea Flower_ and everybody's friend, and though all hands teased aswell as petted him, he took it all in good part.
"So long as Lord Fitzmantle kept his mouth shut, and didn't show thoseflashing teeth of his, he was as invisible as Jack the Giant Killer on adark night.
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"Seeing our independence, the savages for hours held aloof. At last