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abundant materials for a Robinsonade. Some of them, deserters from ships
or runaway Australian convicts, kept out of the way; but others, bolder or
having a clearer conscience, gladly served as interpreters, and supplied
the voyagers with useful information. And on more than one occasion, the
crew of the Hound found themselves engaged as allies in the civil wars of
constant occurrence amongst the bellicose barbarians of the Pacific. Dr
Coulter, especially, greatly distinguished himself as an amateur warrior.
He is a most adventurous fellow, and assuredly made a mistake when he
devoted himself to the study of the healing art, instead of to some more
martial profession. His vocation was evidently to kill, not to cure. He
does not inform us whether his rifle aided in repelling the various
attacks on the Hound, but is less reserved concerning his achievements on
shore, and at New Ireland fairly comes out in a military capacity, as a
sort of British Auxiliary Legion to a scouting party of natives. The New
Irishmen, emulous of their brethren in the old country, are for ever in
hot water, squabbling amongst themselves, and keeping up a desultory
border warfare, varied by an occasional pitched battle, as a natural
sequel to which the slain are duly devoured by the victors, with or
without such sauce as their savage cookery book, or, more properly
speaking, their oral culinary traditions, may suggest. Dr Coulter was so
fascinated by the beautiful scenery and strange customs of the island, and
with the hospitable entertainment he found at the sign of the Three
Skulls--an Indian council house from whose roof three tall poles arose,
supporting human heads--that he resolved upon a lengthened excursion
amongst these interesting aborigines, and committed himself, after putting
on what he terms his go-ashore-among-savages suit, to the guidance of his
friend Rownaa, son and heir of the red-toothed monarch already described.
He had not far to go to become acquainted with the comforts of the
country. On reaching an outpost, he obtained a peep into a cannibal
larder. A party of the enemy had attempted a surprise, had been discovered
and repelled, with the loss of two of their number, who were forthwith
trussed for the spit. The _modus operandi_ was rather violent, as was
manifest to the doctor when he looked into the canoe where the bodies lay,
carefully covered up with leaves. "They had been fairly riddled with
arrows and spears, and the