laughing; and
Don shook his head.

"Ah, well! I won't persuade you, my lad. P'r'aps you're best where you
are. But if you do make up your mind, come to me."

"How should we find you?" said Jem, who was careful to acquire knowledge
that might be useful.

"Ask the first man you see for Tomati Paroni, and he'll bring you to
me."

"Tomati Paroni," said Don thoughtfully; "is that New Zealand for Tom--
Tom--?"

"Tom Brown," said the chief, laughing. "They have all sorts of English
words like that."

The country was so beautiful, and the shore presented so many
attractions, that the officers kept a strict watch over the men for fear
of desertion; but there was something which acted more as a deterrent
than anything that the officers could say or do, and that was the report
that the natives were cannibals.

"Lots of 'em would desert," Jem said one night, as he lay in his hammock
so close to Don's that they touched, "only--"

"Well, only what?" said Don.

"They say they'd rather stick on board, and be roasted and basted by the
captain and officers, than by the blacks."

"They're not blacks, Jem; and I don't believe about the cannibal work."

"Well, they arn't blacks certainly, Mas' Don; but I'm pretty suspicious
about the other thing. I once thought as Tomati was laughing at us, but
it's all true. Why, what d'yer think I see only yes'day?"

"Numbers of things. But what in particular?"

"Why, one of the big chiefs who come ashore in that long canoe. You
know; the one with a figure-head with its tongue sticking out?"

"Yes; I know."

"Well, he'd got a flute."

"What of that? Men have flutes at home. Uncle Josiah had one."

"What was it made on?" whispered Jem.

"Box-wood, with ivory mountings."

"Well, this chiefs flute was of ivory altogether--I mean, of bone."

"Well?"

"Guess what bone it was."

"How can I tell?"

"Bone of a man's leg, Mas' Don; and he killed the man whose bone it
was."

"How do you know?"

"Why, Tomati telled me."

"Yes, but it might not be true; perhaps the man was boasting."

Don was wearied out with a long day's work, and soon dropped off asleep,
to be roused up by the men to take the morning watch.

Jem and he rolled unwillingly out of their hammocks, and went on deck,
to find all dark; and soon after, cold and uncomfortable, they were
leaning over the bulwarks together, talking as they scanned the smooth
black sea, and the faint outlines of forest and mount