.

[Illustration: Hand shot out and grasped me by the throat 054]

When I came to a few minutes afterwards, Tepi was supporting me on his
knees, and Niabon was putting some brandy to my lips. The house was
full of natives, who were speaking in suppressed but excited tones. I
swallowed the brandy, and then, as Tepi helped me to rise, the natives
silently parted to right and left, and I saw something that, half-dazed
as I was, filled me with horror.

Krause lay on his back in the centre of the room, his white duck clothes
saturated with blood, which was still welling from three or four wounds
in his deep, broad chest. I went over to him. He was dead.

[Illustration: Krause lay on his back in the centre of the room 058]

"Who hath done this?" I asked.

"I, master," and Tematau placed an ensanguined hand on mine.

"And I," said a softer voice, and Niabon's eyes met mine calmly.
"Tematau and I together each stabbed him twice."

As soon as I was able to pull myself together, I desired all the natives
but three of the head men to leave, and then, after the unfortunate
German's body was covered from view by a large mat, I asked the
principal man of the village to tell me what he knew of the tragedy.

"I know nothing," was his reply. "Niabon can tell thee."

Niabon, in response to my inquiring glance--I was shaking from head to
foot as I looked at her, but her calm, quiet eyes as she looked into
mine restored my nerve--spoke clearly.

"The German dashed thee against the centre posts of the house, Simi.
Then he drew a little pistol from his breast and shot at me, and the
bullet struck me on the neck. See," and she showed us a still bleeding
score on the right side of her neck, where a Derringer bullet had cut
through the flesh. "And then he sprang at Tematau, but Tematau was
on his feet and met him and stabbed him twice; and, as he fell I too
stabbed him in the breast."

"This is an evil day for me," I said to the three head men, "and I fear
it will prove an evil day to the people of this village, for the wife
of the man who lies there told me that a ship of war of his country was
soon to be here at this island. And how shall we account for his death?"

Niabon bent forward and spoke--

"Have no fear, Simi. Neither thou, nor Tematau, nor the people of this
village, nor I, shall come to any harm from the German fighting-ship.
For when it comes thou and I, and Tematau, and Tepi, who know of the
blood let out this day