laid ourselves
down again, and in spite of the ants and things some of us had a good
long sleep. I felt just as sleepy as the rest, but I couldn't get no
peace at all on the ground, so I looked round and presently made up my
mind to go aloft in a big tree that was standin' not far off. That tree
to look at was as easy to climb as them there ratlins, but somehow it
took me a long time to shin up it and find a comfortable place where I
could get a snooze without fallin' from aloft; but by and by I came
athwart a branch with a big fork in it, reachin' out well over the open
space where the other chaps were lyin' about, and, wedgin' myself into
the fork, I was very soon fast asleep.

"When I woke up it was pitch dark, exceptin' that somebody had lighted a
big fire in the middle of the open space, and there was our lads all
lyin' round fast asleep. I felt cold, for the night had turned foggy,
and I was tryin' to make up my mind to climb down and get a bit nearer
to the fire when a most awful yellin' arose, and the next second the
place was chock-full of leapin' and howlin' niggers flourishin' great
clubs and spears, and bowlin' over our chaps as fast as they got up on
to their feet. A few of our people managed to get up, hows'ever, and
they got to work with their pistols and cutlasses, and I let fly with my
pistol from where I sat up aloft among the branches, and bowled over an
ugly, bald-headed old chap rigged in a monkey-skin round his 'midships,
and carryin' a live snake in his hand.

"The loss of this old cock seemed to have a most astonishin' effect upon
the other niggers, for whereas the minute afore they'd been doin' all
they knew to kill our chaps, no sooner was this old party down than all
hands of 'em what had seen him fall stops dead and yells out `pilliloo'
to t'others, when, dash my wig if the whole lot of 'em didn't just make
one jump upon our people--them that was still alive I mean--and beat
their weapons out o' their hands, after which they lashes 'em all
together, with their hands behind 'em, and marches 'em off into the
bush, some twenty or thirty of 'em stoppin' behind to make sure that all
of our lads as was down was also dead. And d'ye know how they did that,
sir? Why, by just choppin' off their heads with great swords made of
what looked like hard wood!

"Seven of our pore chaps lost the number of their mess in this way, and
then the savages cleared out, carryin' the heads away with 'em, and
l