efore we sallied forth,
captured the culprits, took the revolvers and the half-dozen or so
remaining cartridges from them, and having first read them a severe
lecture--one of many such--upon the heinousness of stealing, endeavoured
to create a lasting impression upon their minds by inflicting upon each
a severe rope's-ending. Four days later we found that they and their
canoe, together with several small articles--Cunningham's burning-glass
among the number--had vanished.

Now this was likely enough to prove a very serious matter for us, for
several important reasons. In the first place, Mokalua and Vati had
proved to be individuals possessed of quite a considerable amount of
intelligence, for savages. They had spent five months with us, during
which they had come to know the island intimately; and doubtless they
had perceived, among other things, that it was capable of supporting
some five hundred fellow savages in what, to them, would be a condition
of ease and affluence. Also, they knew that there were but five of us,
possessing several things which to them represented such incalculable
wealth that no effort on their part to acquire it would be regarded as
too great. Therefore we at once jumped to the conclusion that, animated
by a deep sense of resentment at the indignity which we had inflicted
upon them by flogging them, and possibly also spurred on by an
overpowering cupidity, they had determined to risk their very lives in
an attempt to return to their own island, there to report all that they
had seen and learned during their sojourn with us, with the object of
stirring up their fellow islanders to organise an expedition against us.

Strongly impressed with the conviction that this was really what had
happened, Simpson, the sailmaker, and I hastened to stock the catamaran
with provisions and water enough to last us for four days, and forthwith
proceeded to sea, heading in the direction of the island which lay to
leeward of us, in the hope of overtaking the two savages before they
could arrive at their destination, and inducing them, either by
persuasion or by force, to return with us. And we were fully justified
in hoping that we should be successful, for the catamaran was a
wonderfully speedy craft, especially before the wind; we calculated that
the savages would scarcely average more than four knots per hour
paddling in the open sea, even with the wind in their favour, while the
catamaran would do ten e