AMONG THE CANNIBALS 113 



duced some of these savages to embark on board our 

 ship and serve as allies with us in the coming struggle. 

 They seemed only too pleased at the alluring prospect 

 of securing man's flesh loving it as a City Father 

 does turtle and, with a band of white calico bound 

 above their elbows in order that we might distinguish 

 friend from foe, were disembarked on the enemy's shore 

 with their weapons, leaping into the water even before 

 the boat's bows had touched the rocky beach, when, 

 yelling in a diabolical manner, they rushed into the 

 jungle, which grew close down to the sea. A terrific 

 din ensued, but before our men could land the enemy 

 appeared to have given way and fled, so that when 

 the bluejackets got to the village not a hundred yards 

 from the beach there was not a soul to be seen. But 

 fiendish screeches and yells were to be heard far up 

 the mountain-side as if hell had broken loose, as indeed 

 it had for them. 



The village being set on fire, the party returned ; 

 but meanwhile some of the enemy had got round a 

 point to intercept the retreat. But a volley or two 

 scattered these poor wretches; whilst two or three 

 of them, cut off from their own party, rushed out on 

 to a reef a few yards off the shore. They were imme- 

 diately followed by the friendlies, and as it was im- 

 possible for our men to fire at them without risk to 

 these, a hand-to-hand fight began, fought out with 

 astonishing valour, the huge clubs whirling over the 

 heads of the combatants. But the friendlies were 

 greatly at a disadvantage by having to climb out of 

 waist-deep water to get up on to the reef, and the 

 consequence was that two out of three were killed there 

 and then. But one, a magnificent specimen of a man, 



8 



