way of it was this.
When we landed we were immediately surrounded by a mob of blacks; and
just for a moment I had a shadowy suspicion that things were not quite
all that they ought to be. But as I looked round I saw that the natives
were all unarmed; and, moreover, they were all smiling and apparently in
the best of tempers--indeed, one of them, a girl, flung a garland of
flowers round my neck, either as a joke or a sign of goodwill, I didn't
quite know which--so I took it for granted that they were friendly
disposed, and we all got laughing and joking together. Then the
skipper, Maybury, and I gradually worked our way through the crowd, and,
accompanied by the men who had wood to sell, walked up through the
village, which seemed to be inhabited chiefly by naked little
piccaninnies, playing in the sand with the dogs, and women.

"The village is about a quarter of a mile in length, and beyond it there
are about twenty acres of cleared ground, planted with manioc, cassava,
corn, and fruit trees--principally bananas, beyond which is the virgin
forest. Toward this we made our way, and, entering it, followed a bush
path for about a quarter of a mile, until we reached a small open space.
We had scarcely entered this when the three pretended sandalwood
merchants simultaneously turned upon us, and, uttering a terrific yell,
seized each of us by the arms, which they tried to confine behind our
backs. Taken unawares though I was, I struggled fiercely to throw off
my particular assailant, but the beggar was a big sinewy chap, with
muscles like steel, and ere I could wrench myself clear about a dozen
other blacks sprang into the enclosure, evidently in response to the
shout raised by our captors; and before I well knew what was happening I
found myself upon the ground, with three or four savages sitting upon
me, while others were binding me hand and foot. While I was still
struggling I heard the pop of a revolver twice, the reports being so
close together that I knew at once they must have come from different
weapons; and the next instant I heard a dull crack, a groan, and the
fall of two heavy bodies upon the dry leaves and twigs which carpeted
the floor of the open space where the struggle had taken place. Then,
when my captors had effectually secured my limbs, they raised me to my
feet, and I saw the skipper lying, face downward, about a yard away,
with his head bare, a small stream of blood trickling from it and
clotting