nocking them about
generally.

These wild people were the most noisy and intractable lot of natives I
had ever seen, wearing only a girdle of leaves around their waists,
and all armed with Snider carbines and short stabbing knives made from
cutlasses broken in halves. But, although they bullied the weak and
effeminate Strong's Islanders, they were yet very obedient to their
white masters, to whom they were all more or less related through the
native wives whom the traders had married. The women were very tall
and handsome, and every bit as handy with their knives as the men in a
quarrel.

Hayes, of course, was well known to both the white men and natives, and
at once began his good offices by threatening to open fire on the houses
and boats of the former if they did not at once cease to persecute the
king and his subjects. This threat he made in the presence and hearing
of the king himself, who was deeply grateful, and at once said he would
make him a present of two tuns of oil. The five hairy ruffians were
considerably startled at first; but Hayes, I regret to say, turning to
one of them, named Pedro Diaz, said in Spanish, 'Don't be scared, Peter.
I'm not going back on you fellows; but at the same time you'll have to
quit knocking these poor devils about. So just go ashore and take away
your people's rifles--it means a couple of tuns of oil for me--its just
as well in the hold of the _Leonora_ as in that of the missionary brig
_Morning Star_. The missionaries would only promise King Togusa credit
in heaven. I'll give him enough grog to keep him drunk for a month of
Sundays on earth; and as he never possibly could get to heaven, I am
treating him better than the missionaries, who would simply be obtaining
his oil under false pretences.'

On the following day the king sent off his gift of oil; the five white
men and he became reconciled, and the abducted Strong's Island women
were returned to their parents or husbands as a guarantee of good faith.
In the evening the traders came on board and made an arrangement with
Hayes to proceed in the brig to Arrecifos (Providence Island), a large
atoll to the north-west, of which Hayes had taken possession. Here they
were to live as long as they liked, paying Hayes a certain quantity of
coco-nut oil as tribute, and resisting, by force of arms, any attempt to
take possession of the atoll by the German trading company of Godeffroy,
should it be made by any one of the three, armed