as that of
Harry. The pleasure of seeing him soon restored me. He told me that he
had effected his escape just as I was attempting to do, though he had
been compelled to remain concealed for several days among the rocks. As
soon as he reached the harbour he told Mudge, who had given up all
expectation of ever seeing me again alive, of my captivity; and arranged
with him a plan for rescuing me. Harry's intention was to land after
nightfall, and boldly make his way up to the village; where, knowing my
hut, he hoped to be able to find me, and to conduct me back to the boat
before daylight. The boat, however, had first to be brought round to
the east side; so Mudge, himself, and Tom went across the island
together, and brought her round by the south end.

The day after his arrival, while they were employed in putting on board
provisions for the expedition, Popo, who had been out shooting with his
bow and arrows, came rushing back, saying that he had seen a party of
savage natives, who were evidently advancing towards the harbour. They
had but just time to jump into the boat, leaving a large portion of the
provisions they had prepared behind them, and to shove off, when the
savages came rushing down with threatening gestures, shouting and
shrieking. From Harry's account, they were similar in appearance to the
men from whom I had escaped, and we agreed that they were probably part
of the tribe who had been absent, and had just returned to Taboo Land.

In the meantime, Mudge had put the boat round, and we were pulling away
from the shore. One of the plans formed by my friends, they told me,
had been, as soon as they had recovered me, to try and cut out our
jolly-boat, as the small boat was but ill adapted for the long voyage we
might have to take. They were afraid, however, should we linger on the
coast, that the savages who had just landed would pursue us in the
canoes in which they had arrived; and hence our only safe course was at
once to get to a distance, in the hope that we might either fall in with
a whaler, or reach some island inhabited by people of a more hospitable
disposition. With reluctance, therefore, we abandoned the design of
trying to get hold of the jolly-boat. There would, of course, have been
danger in the attempt, and we therefore considered it altogether wiser
to avoid it.

Unhappily, we had no sail, and only a couple of rough oars, formed by
Tamaku; we had a few salted fish and birds, a bas