armed, but refrained from showing any signs of hostility, and rowed
nearer in order to converse with the natives; and I now found that
more than one of the crew could imperfectly speak dialects of the
language peculiar to the South Sea islanders. When within forty
yards of the shore, we ceased rowing, and the first mate stood up
to address the multitude; but, instead of answering us, they
replied with a shower of stones, some of which cut the men
severely. Instantly our muskets were levelled, and a volley was
about to be fired, when the captain hailed us in a loud voice from
the schooner, which lay not more than five or six hundred yards off
the shore.

"Don't fire," he shouted, angrily. "Pull off to the point ahead of
you."

The men looked surprised at this order, and uttered deep curses as
they prepared to obey, for their wrath was roused and they burned
for revenge. Three or four of them hesitated, and seemed disposed
to mutiny.

"Don't distress yourselves, lads," said the mate, while a bitter
smile curled his lip. "Obey orders. The captain's not the man to
take an insult tamely. If Long Tom does not speak presently I'll
give myself to the sharks."

The men smiled significantly as they pulled from the shore, which
was now crowded with a dense mass of savages, amounting, probably,
to five or six hundred. We had not rowed off above a couple of
hundred yards when a loud roar thundered over the sea, and the big
brass gun sent a withering shower of grape point blank into the