avoid a fight, and we can't tell how they'll behave if we
remain."

Jack was about the most eager to get the boat in the water, and Horner
looked not a little frightened. We soon had her afloat, and then as
quickly as we could, running backwards and forwards, put the cargo on
board.

The doctor and mate were still on shore, seeing that nothing had been
left behind, when loud shrieks reached our ears, and a score or more of
tattooed savages, flourishing their war clubs, burst out of the grove
and rushed towards us.

"Quick, doctor," cried the mate. "Get on board, and I'll follow you."

He stood, as he spoke, with his musket in his hand pointed towards the
savages, and then slowly retreated, while Dr Cockle sprang on board.
We had our oars ready to shove off as soon as the mate was safe.

"Come on, Mr Griffiths, come on," cried several others.

The savages were scarcely a dozen yards from us as the mate threw
himself over the bows, and we quickly shoved the boat into deep water,
while the savages stood yelling and heaving stones at us from the beach.

Just, however, as we got the boat's head to sea we saw, coming round a
point to the eastward, four or five large canoes. It seemed impossible
that we could escape them.

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.

ESCAPE FROM THE ISLAND AND THE EVENTS WHICH FOLLOWED.

"Give way, lads! Give way!" shouted Mr Griffiths; "if the worst comes
we must fight for it, and try to save our lives, but I want, if we can,
to avoid fighting." The men bent to their oars; the wind was ahead, so
that it was useless to hoist the sail. The savages on shore howled and
shrieked as they saw us getting off, and hurled stones at us. The big
double canoes came round the point, two more appearing astern. They
were close on a wind, and rapidly skimming the water.

"There's an outlet from the bay to the westward, I marked it yesterday,
we will make for it," said Mr Griffiths.

The canoes were to the eastward, but it seemed very doubtful whether we
could reach the outlet the mate spoke of before they would be up with
us. We pulled for our lives, for there could be no doubt, from the
behaviour of the savages on shore,--how those in the canoes would be
inclined to treat us. While the mate steered, the doctor and I got the
muskets ready; the rest of the crew were rowing, Horner helping the
stroke oar. On the canoes came, nearer and nearer. We observed the sea
breaking over the reef, but there was a