th a frown. "You
see these blackguards eat men an' women just as readily as they eat pigs;
and, as baked pigs and baked men are very like each other in appearance,
they call men _long_ pigs. If Avatea goes to this fellow as a long pig,
it's all up with her, poor thing."

"Is she on the island now?" I asked eagerly.

"No, she's at Tararo's island."

"And where does it lie?"

"About fifty or sixty miles to the south'ard o' this," returned Bill;
"but I--"

At this moment we were startled by the cry of "Mao! mao!--a shark! a
shark!" which was immediately followed by a shriek that rang clear and
fearfully loud above the tumult of cries that arose from the savages in
the water and on the land. We turned hastily towards the direction
whence the cry came, and had just time to observe the glaring eye-balls
of one of the swimmers as he tossed his arms in the air. Next instant he
was pulled under the waves. A canoe was instantly launched, and the hand
of the drowning man was caught, but only half of his body was dragged
from the maw of the monster, which followed the canoe until the water
became so shallow that it could scarcely swim. The crest of the next
billow was tinged with red as it rolled towards the shore.

In most countries of the world this would have made a deep impression on
the spectators, but the only effect it had upon these islanders was to
make them hurry with all speed out of the sea, lest a similar fate should
befall some of the others; but, so utterly reckless were they of human
life, that it did not for a moment suspend the progress of their
amusements. It is true the surf-swimming ended for that time somewhat
abruptly, but they immediately proceeded with other games. Bill told me
that sharks do not often attack the surf-swimmers, being frightened away
by the immense numbers of men and boys in the water, and by the shouting
and splashing that they make. "But," said he, "such a thing as you have
seen just now don't frighten them much. They'll be at it again to-morrow
or next day, just as if there wasn't a single shark between Feejee and
Nova Zembla."

After this the natives had a series of wrestling and boxing matches; and
being men of immense size and muscle, they did a good deal of injury to
each other, especially in boxing, in which not only the lower orders, but
several of the chiefs and priests engaged. Each bout was very quickly
terminated, for they did not pretend to a scientific knowl