nd that the people here think nothing of
attacking boats' crews and plundering them, and making them prisoners,
and often enough killing and eating 'em?"

"Threatening, eh?" said the lieutenant.

"Not I. But I'm a chief, and the people here would do everything I told
them, and fight for me to a man."

"Then you are threatening."

"No, sir; I only wanted to remind you that your boats' crews have come
and gone in peace; that you have been allowed to go about ashore, and
been supplied with fruit and vegetables, and never a thing missed."

"That's true enough," said the lieutenant. "Well, what of that? A
king's ship well-armed would keep a larger tribe than yours quiet!"

"Oh! Oh!" came from the group of natives.

"Yes, I repeat it," said the lieutenant sharply. "They can understand
English, then?"

"Of course they do," said the tattooed man calmly, though he looked
uneasily at the group; "and as to your ship, sir, what's the good of
that if we were to fight you ashore?"

"Do you want to fight, then?" said the lieutenant sharply.

"It doesn't seem like it, when I've kept my tribe peaceful toward all
your crew, and made them trade honestly."

"Out of respect to our guns."

"Can you bring your guns along the valleys and up into the mountains?"

"No; but we can bring plenty of well-drilled fighting men."

"Oh! Oh!" came in quite a long-drawn groan.

"Yes," said the lieutenant looking toward the group, "well-drilled,
well-armed righting men, who would drive your people like leaves before
the wind. But I don't want to quarrel. I am right, though; you are an
escaped convict from Norfolk Island?"

"Yes, I am," said the man boldly; "but I've given up civilisation, and
I'm a Maori now, and the English Government had better leave me alone."

"Well, I've no orders to take you."

"Oh! Oh!" came again from the group: and Tomati turned sharply round,
and said a few words indignantly in the Maori tongue, whose result was a
huddling closer together of the men in the group and utter silence.

"They'll be quiet now," said Tomati. "They understand an English word
now and then."

"Well, I've no more to say, only this--If those two men do come ashore,
or you find that they have come ashore, you've got to seize them and
make them prisoners. Make slaves of them if you like till we come
again, and then you can give them up and receive a good reward."

"I shall never get any reward," said Tomati, grimly.

"Poor