,
apparently mad with passion.

"Ah!" said Bill to me, "there he's at his old tricks again. That's his
way when he gets drink. The natives make a sort of drink o' their own,
and it makes him bad enough; but when he gets brandy he's like a wild
tiger. The captain, I suppose, has given him a bottle, as usual, to keep
him in good humour. After drinkin' he usually goes to sleep, and the
people know it well and keep out of his way, for fear they should waken
him. Even the babies are taken out of ear-shot; for, when he's waked up,
he rushes out just as you see him now, and spears or clubs the first
person he meets."

It seemed at the present time, however, that no deadly weapon had been in
his way, for the infuriated chief was raging about without one. Suddenly
he caught sight of an unfortunate man who was trying to conceal himself
behind a tree. Rushing towards him, Romata struck him a terrible blow on
the head, which knocked out the poor man's eye and also dislocated the
chief's finger. The wretched creature offered no resistance; he did not
even attempt to parry the blow. Indeed, from what Bill said, I found
that he might consider himself lucky in having escaped with his life,
which would certainly have been forfeited had the chief been possessed of
a club at the time.

"Have these wretched creatures no law among themselves," said I, "which
can restrain such wickedness?"

"None," replied Bill. "The chief's word is law. He might kill and eat a
dozen of his own subjects any day for nothing more than his own pleasure,
and nobody would take the least notice of it."

This ferocious deed took place within sight of our party as we wended our
way to the beach, but I could not observe any other expression on the
faces of the men than that of total indifference or contempt. It seemed
to me a very awful thing that it should be possible for men to come to
such hardness of heart and callousness to the sight of bloodshed and
violence; but, indeed, I began to find that such constant exposure to
scenes of blood was having a slight effect upon myself, and I shuddered
when I came to think that I, too, was becoming callous.

I thought upon this subject much that night while I walked up and down
the deck during my hours of watch; and I came to the conclusion that if
I, who hated, abhorred, and detested such bloody deeds as I had witnessed
within the last few weeks, could so soon come to be less sensitive about
them, how lit