rning, slipped after us into the boat, in which the mast was
fortunately stepped.

"Jack, do you take the helm, and steer directly for the mouth of the
harbour," he said, cutting the painter and seizing an oar. Tom and
Green did the same, and pulled away lustily. We had already got several
fathoms from the vessel before we were perceived. The sail had been
placed ready for hoisting. It was run up and sheeted home. The savages
were about to jump into one of the canoes, and chase us, but three
muskets pointed towards them made them hesitate. We were rapidly
slipping away from the doomed brig. We could see the savages dancing
and leaping on deck, their shouts and yells coming over the water
towards us.

"They will dance to another tune soon," muttered Pearson between his
teeth.

He and the other two had again taken to the oars. Even now a flight of
arrows might have reached us, but fortunately the savages had not
brought their bows with them, and probably that was the chief reason why
they had not ventured to pursue us. They well knew that several of
their number would have been shot down with our bullets had they made
the attempt. Still we could see some of the chiefs apparently trying to
persuade their warriors to follow us, and we knew that though we might
fight till all our ammunition was expended, we should at last be
overwhelmed by numbers.

Our chance of ultimate escape seemed small indeed. "They will not
come," said Pearson. "See!" We had got half-a-mile or more from the
brig, when a deep thundering sound reached our ears. It seemed as if
the whole vessel was lifted out of the water, while up into the air shot
her mainmast and spars, and fragments of her deck and bulwarks, and
other pieces of timber, mingled with countless human bodies, with limbs
torn off and mangled in a fearful manner. At the same time the canoes
with those who had escaped were paddling with frantic energy towards the
shore, probably believing that the Great Spirit had sent forth one of
his emissaries to punish them for their treachery to the white people.
We concluded that some such idea as this was entertained by them, as we
saw no canoes coming off in pursuit of us.

Rowing and sailing, we continued to make our way out to the open ocean.
It was blowing fresh but, the wind coming off-shore, the sea was
tolerably calm, and we agreed that at all events it was better to
undergo the dangers of a long voyage in an open boat tha