my sons; I've had that trick tried
on me before, but it didn't come off, and it ain't comin' off now.
You've got to work for your livin' while you're on this here hisland,
and don't you forget it. Can't understand my language, can't ye? Well,
I can speak another language with my boot--"

I saw that the time had arrived for me to interfere. Murdock was
rapidly working himself up into a rage, and when he was angry he was a
little apt to be violent; also he was an exceptionally powerful man,
while the two natives whom he held in his grasp were still weak from
semi-starvation and long exposure, and were beginning to look rather
frightened. Now I did not want them to be frightened, I wanted to win
their confidence, so I stepped forward and gently removed the
boatswain's grasp from the persons of his prisoners, saying:

"There, that will do, Murdock; don't get excited, man, because these two
bronze images cannot understand you. You cannot understand them, you
know, so you are quits. We shall just have to be patient with them, and
treat them kindly; and I have no doubt that in due time they will learn
to understand what we want them to do." Then, turning to the two
wide-eyed savages, and trusting that they would at least understand the
intonation of my voice, I patted them both good-naturedly on the
shoulder and said, in English of course:

"That's all right. Don't you be afraid of him, he'll not hurt you; he's
quite a good-natured chap. But he wants you to go with him to the woods
yonder; so run along," and I first pointed to the jungle, then to
Murdock, patted them encouragingly on the back, and finally waved my
hand toward the cliffs.

That I was tolerably successful in a general sort of way was at once
evident, for the expression of mingled fear and savagery on Mokalua's
features at once vanished, giving place to a smile; he nodded his head,
pointed to Murdock, himself, and Vati, waved his hand toward the woods,
said a few quick words to his companion, and at once set off at a brisk
walk toward the cliff path, accompanied by the two others, the trio
returning about twenty minutes later with an abundant supply of dry
twigs and branches, with which they at once proceeded to build the
constituents of a fire. But it was evident, from their actions and
their quick, earnest interchange of remarks, that the two were
exceedingly curious as to how we were going to set light to the wood,
now that we had it; and they lo