citedly relating particular incidents of the
adventure, while others were striving to express their gratitude to me
for putting into their hands the means to defend themselves successfully
against the most formidable raid that had ever been attempted by the
apes.

On our way back to Eden I gave some consideration to the idea referred
to above. It was this. Long as we had been on the group without
sighting so much as the most distant glimpse of a sail, the hope was
ever present that the day would eventually dawn when we should be
rescued from our imprisonment, mild and even agreeable as it was in some
respects; and when that day should arrive, what would happen to Bowata
and his people? Who would continue to supply them with weapons of
defence against their ferocious enemies? It was obvious that, from the
moment of our departure from the group, they would be left entirely to
their own resources; and to me it seemed that it would be only humane,
if not my actual duty, to supply the means whereby it might be possible
for them to replenish for themselves their supply of bows and arrows.

Now, how was this to be done? I could see nothing for it but to provide
them with something in the nature of a boat wherein to navigate the
channels, then to show Bowata where the wood for the bows and the shafts
for the arrows could be obtained, and finally teach him and his people
how to make bows and arrows for themselves. I fully realised that to
present the savages with a boat might be a proceeding not altogether
devoid of danger; for savages--even such apparently harmless savages as
our neighbours--were apt to develop treacherous tendencies, and, once
provided with a boat, it would be difficult to prevent them visiting our
own particular island of Eden, when, if any of our possessions should
chance to excite their cupidity, who could say what might happen? There
was, of course, a way whereby this danger might be reduced to a minimum,
and that was by so reducing the dimensions of the boat that she should
be incapable of carrying more than two men at a time; and this I
determined to do. As to material, there was plenty of such as I
required to be obtained from the wreck, for I meant the boat to be of
the simplest construction, being, in fact, nothing more than a miniature
flat-bottomed Thames punt, to be propelled by a pair of paddles.

Having settled this matter to my satisfaction, I explained my intention
to Billy that eveni