happened to witness the
incident, and who thereupon incontinently turned and fled to their
boats, an example immediately followed by their comrades, hotly pursued
by the blacks, who plied their war clubs with terrible effect.

It was a disastrous adventure for the Chinamen; for of the total number
engaged--which I estimated to be between thirty and forty--only eleven
escaped, for I counted them. On the other hand, the casualties on our
side were remarkably small, numbering only seven wounded, the wounds
consisting entirely of sword cuts, none of which was serious. Of those
seven Bowata happened to be one, his wound consisting of a sword thrust
through the upper part of the left arm. I therefore took him and his
six companions in misfortune up to the house to dress their wounds,
leaving the remainder of the party on the beach to collect the weapons
and their spent arrows, and to clear up generally.

My surgical duties occupied about an hour and a half; and when all my
patients had been attended to I sent them with Billy down to the cove,
to be ferried across in the sailing boat to Cliff Island, where no doubt
their own people would look after them. Then, remembering that there
were wounded Chinamen among those abandoned upon the beach, I started
down to see what could be done for them; for although a party of wounded
and no doubt treacherous and vindictive Chinks would be a most
embarrassing charge to have on my hands, common humanity demanded that
they should not be left to perish miserably where they had fallen.
Before, however, I had covered half the distance between the bungalow
and the beach I met the remaining blacks marching triumphantly up the
hill, singing a song of victory, and carrying not only their own
recovered weapons but also several swords that they had taken from the
fallen enemy. They also brought the rifle that I had left on the beach,
and the sword, scabbard, and belt of the Chinese leader, which they
solemnly handed over to me as the victor. Seeing that they had
evidently been busy among the fallen I asked whether there were many
wounded among the latter, to which the man whom I was questioning
replied: No, they were all dead! pointing significantly to his blood-
smeared war club by way of explanation.

Well, it may perhaps seem inhuman to say it, but I was not altogether
sorry. The men were undoubtedly pirates, if not by profession, pirates
at least when opportunity seemed to be favourabl