here in the bush if you will," said Talaloo. "The
white men are strong, but we are stronger. We will kill the white men."

He turned with an air of offended dignity, and strode away. His wife
meekly followed, and Timoa went with them.

Now, there was one woman among the fishers whose eyes were sharp and her
hearing was keen.

This was Susannah, the wife of the midshipman Edward Young. She had
followed Talaloo's wife, saw what occurred, and carried back a report to
the settlement. A council of war was at once held.

"If we leave these men at liberty," said Williams, "we shall never again
be able to go to rest in security."

"Something must be done," said Christian, with the air of a man whose
mind wanders far away from the subject in hand.

"Kill them," suggested McCoy.

"Yes," said Quintal; "I vote that we get up a grand hunt, run them to
earth, and shoot them like dogs, as they are."

"Not so easy as you think to hunt down such men among these wild and
wooded hills," said Young. "Besides, it is only Talaloo who has
threatened us; Timoa is guiltless, I think."

"I'll tell you what we'll do, lads; we'll poison 'em," said Williams.
"I've heard of such a thing bein' done at Otaheite by one of the women.
She knows how to get the poison from some sort of plant, I believe, and
I'm pretty sure that Menalee will help us."

The plan thus suggested was finally adopted. One of the women made
three puddings, two of which were good, the third was poisoned. Menalee
at once agreed to go to the fugitives, say he had stolen the puddings,
and would be willing to share them. The two good puddings were to be
given to Talaloo's wife and Timoa, the poisoned one to Talaloo himself.
For further security Menalee was to carry a pistol with him, and use it
if necessary.

The assassin was not long in tracking out his countrymen.

"You bring us food?" said Talaloo.

"Yes, I have stolen it. Will you have some?"

They all accepted the puddings, and Timoa and the woman began to eat;
but Talaloo was quick witted. He observed something unusual in
Menalee's manner, suspected poison, and would not eat his pudding.
Laying it aside, he ate that of his wife along with her.

Menalee pretended not to notice this. After the others had done eating,
he proposed that they should all go a little farther up into the bushes,
where, he said, he had left his own wife among some breadfruit trees.

Talaloo agreeing to this, they rose and wa