d to be the
chief, came slowly toward me, with their hands raised. Their approach
was marked by a very considerable amount of hesitation, halts being
frequent, and progress resumed only in response to vigorous beckonings
on my part, so that fully twenty minutes were consumed in traversing the
distance of some five hundred yards that originally separated us; but at
length the party arrived within about a dozen yards of me, and there
finally halted.

The moment had evidently arrived for me to declare my intentions. I
therefore drew from my pocket a necklace of big turquoise-blue beads
that formed part of the "truck" provided by the late skipper Stenson for
purposes of trade, and, holding it aloft, advanced with a friendly smile
toward the chief, who seemed more than half inclined to turn tail and
run. As I purposely moved very slowly and deliberately, however, he
stood his ground; and when I halted before him and placed the necklace
round my own neck, a low murmur of admiration escaped the party. Then,
removing the beads from my own neck, I stepped slowly forward again and
lightly dropped them round the neck of the chief, who, I thought, seemed
to find some difficulty in deciding whether he was the more frightened
or delighted. But I continued smiling upon him in friendly fashion, and
offered my right hand, in token of amity, a sign which he seemed to
understand, for after a moment of hesitation he placed his hand in mine
and gave a friendly squeeze, which I instantly returned.

I now turned toward the boat and, saying: "Come with me; I have
something to show you," beckoned the party to follow me. Of course they
did not understand my words, but they must have correctly interpreted
the tones of my voice, for they followed me without hesitation, halting
at the top of the bank, however, to take a good look at the boat and
exchange excited remarks concerning her--as I easily conjectured from
their animated gestures.

Meanwhile, advancing to the boat, I took from Billy a small wooden
target that I had prepared, together with a bow and sheaf of arrows.
The target I fixed up on the beach and, stationing myself at about a
hundred yards from it, directed the attention of my little audience,
first to the bow, then to an arrow which I drew from the quiver, and
finally to the target. Then, fitting the arrow to the string, I drew
the bow to its full extent, and the next moment the arrow was quivering
in the bull's-eye, to th