w minutes the birds must have become aware of our presence, for
they suddenly vanished.

I have always regretted in connection with the two birds I shot, that
not only was I unaware of their value, even when dead, but that there
was then living in Apia a Dr. Forbes, medical officer to the staff of
the German factory. Had I sent them to him, he could have cured the
skins at least, for he was, I believe, an ardent naturalist.

CHAPTER XXIV ~ A NIGHT RUN ACROSS FAGALOA BAY

When I was supercargo of the brig _Palestine_, we were one day beating
along the eastern shore of the great island of Tombara (New Ireland) or,
as it is now called by its German possessors, _Neu Mecklenburg_, when an
accident happened to one of our hands--a smart young A.B. named Rogers.
The brig was "going about" in a stiff squall, when the jib-sheet block
caught poor Rogers in the side, and broke three of his ribs.

There were then no white men living on the east coast of New Ireland, or
we should have landed him there to recover, and picked him up again
on our return from the Caroline Islands, so we decided to run down
to Gerrit Denys Island, where we had heard there was a German doctor
living. He was a naturalist, and had been established there for over a
year, although the natives were as savage and warlike a lot as could be
found anywhere in Melanesia.

We reached the island, anchored, and the naturalist came on board. He
was not a professional-looking man. Here is my description, of him,
written fifteen years ago:--

"He was bootless, and his pants and many-pocketed jumper of coarse
dungaree were exceedingly dirty, and looked as if they had been cut out
with a knife and fork instead of scissors, they were so marvellously
ill-fitting. His head-gear was an ancient Panama hat, which flopped
about, and almost concealed his red-bearded face, as if trying to
apologise for the rest of his apparel; and the thin gold-rimmed
spectacles he wore made a curious contrast to his bare and sun-burnt
feet, which were as brown as those of a native. His manner, however, was
that of a man perfectly at ease with himself and his clear, steely blue
eyes, showed an infinite courage and resolution."

At first he was very reluctant to have Rogers brought on shore, but
finally yielded, being at heart a good-natured man. So we bade Rogers
good-bye, made the doctor a present of some provisions, and a few cases
of beer, and told him we should be back in six weeks.