We did not feel quite satisfied with this explanation, so Jack went
up to her and said, "Avatea." The woman smiled sadly, and nodded
her head, at the same time pointing to her breast and then to the
sun, in the same manner as the chief had done. We were much
puzzled to know what this could signify, but as there was no way of
solving our difficulty we were obliged to rest content.

Jack now made signs to the natives to follow him, and, taking up
his axe, he led them to the place where the battle had been fought.
Here we found the prisoners, who had passed the night on the beach
having been totally forgotten by us, as our minds had been full of
our guests, and were ultimately overcome by sleep. They did not
seem the worse for their exposure, however, as we judged by the
hearty appetite with which they devoured the breakfast that was
soon after given to them. Jack then began to dig a hole in the
sand, and, after working a few seconds, he pointed to it and to the
dead bodies that lay exposed on the beach. The natives immediately
perceived what he wanted, and, running for their paddles, dug a
hole in the course of half an hour that was quite large enough to
contain all the bodies of the slain. When it was finished they
tossed their dead enemies into it with so much indifference that we
felt assured they would not have put themselves to this trouble had
we not asked them to do so. The body of the yellow-haired chief
was the last thrown in. This wretched man would have recovered
from the blow with which Jack felled him, and, indeed, he did
endeavour to rise during the melee that followed his fall, but one
of his enemies, happening to notice the action, dealt him a blow
with his club that killed him on the spot.

While they were about to throw the sand over this chief, one of the