s I supposed; and, raising
myself partly from the mat, became sensible that we were enveloped
in utter darkness. Toby lay still asleep, but our late companions had
disappeared. The only sound that interrupted the silence of the place
was the asthmatic breathing of the old men I have mentioned, who reposed
at a little distance from us. Besides them, as well as I could judge,
there was no one else in the house.

Apprehensive of some evil, I roused my comrade, and we were engaged in a
whispered conference concerning the unexpected withdrawal of the natives
when all at once, from the depths of the grove, in full view of us
where we lay, shoots of flame were seen to rise, and in a few moments
illuminated the surrounding trees, casting, by contrast, into still
deeper gloom the darkness around us.

While we continued gazing at this sight, dark figures appeared moving
to and fro before the flames; while others, dancing and capering about,
looked like so many demons.

Regarding this new phenomenon with no small degree of trepidation, I
said to my companion, 'What can all this mean, Toby?'

'Oh, nothing,' replied he; 'getting the fire ready, I suppose.'

'Fire!' exclaimed I, while my heart took to beating like a trip-hammer,
'what fire?'

'Why, the fire to cook us, to be sure, what else would the cannibals be
kicking up such a row about if it were not for that?'

'Oh, Toby! have done with your jokes; this is no time for them;
something is about to happen, I feel confident.'

'Jokes, indeed?' exclaimed Toby indignantly. 'Did you ever hear me joke?
Why, for what do you suppose the devils have been feeding us up in this
kind of style during the last three days, unless it were for something
that you are too much frightened at to talk about? Look at that
Kory-Kory there!--has he not been stuffing you with his confounded
mushes, just in the way they treat swine before they kill them? Depend
upon it, we will be eaten this blessed night, and there is the fire we
shall be roasted by.'

This view of the matter was not at all calculated to allay my
apprehensions, and I shuddered when I reflected that we were indeed at
the mercy of a tribe of cannibals, and that the dreadful contingency
to which Toby had alluded was by no means removed beyond the bounds of
possibility.

'There! I told you so! they are coming for us!' exclaimed my companion
the next moment, as the forms of four of the islanders were seen in
bold relief against th