268 The Story of the New England Whalers 



have no natives onto 'em, and there was always 

 thousands of birds ; and here, exceptin' some gulls 

 a-flyin' over the reef, we ain't seen a bird.' 



"'Talkin' about inhabitants,' says one of the 

 chaps, just then, 'what do you call that thing 

 yonder ?' We looked where he p'inted and there, 

 sure enough, was a native. He appeared for to 

 be kind of frightened at us, and kept at a respect- 

 ful distance, and as we advanced he retreated. 

 So the old man, he says, 'You stay here, my lads, 

 and I'll go for'ard alone, and then maybe it won't 

 be so much afeerd.' So we sits down and the 

 old man he goes on ahead, puttin' his hands onto 

 his breast, and a-makin' all sort of motions for 

 to show that he didn't mean no harm ; and finally 

 the savage seemed to understand, and stopped 

 still for to let our old man come up. But it seemed, 

 as he told us arterward, when he got within hailin' 

 distance, all of a sudden the native, as we had took 

 it to be, runned toward him, and with a kind of 

 a yell like jist tumbled down all into a bunch 

 at his feet. Well, we heerd the yell the critter 

 gave, and we rushed up to where the old man was, 

 and if ever I see a man flabbergasted completely, 



