hey were evidently planning an attack upon a large scale.

What could account for the captain's strange apathy?

After a time he forgot the natives in admiring the lovely night of the
tropics.

The zodiacal stars appeared, and the moon shone brightly amidst
innumerable constellations of the zenith.

He wished that the moon would light the _Searcher_ to the coral bed, and
that they would sink to the bottom, where they would be safe from their
enemies.

Proceeding below again he sought his friends.

The door giving access to the interior of the boat remained open, and he
observed a slave standing at the bottom of the staircase as if on watch.

Stump had his leg plastered up, and, though in pain, was much better.

Strange to say, all were pleased to return to the boat, and to escape a
fearful death of lifelong slavery among the savages, who are known to
travelers as the Papouans.

Mont slept badly, for he anticipated a night attack.

CHAPTER XXIII.

ELECTRIFYING THE SAVAGES.

"What a sight! They are going to attack us, sure!"

It was Mont who spoke, as at six o'clock in the morning he ascended to
the platform.

The morning mist had lifted, and he could see the land distinctly.

The savages were very busy, and more numerous than they had been the
night before.

As well as he could calculate, he counted six or seven hundred of them.

They were tall, handsome men, with an erect bearing, their features well
chiseled.

In their ears they wore rings of bone.

Their arms were bows and arrows, spears, and shields made of the skins
of fish stretched over a wooden frame or the back of the turtle.

A chief rowed in a canoe toward the _Searcher_, keeping at a safe
distance.

He was adorned with a fantastic headdress of feathers and leaves, and
seemed to be the king of the country.

Having nothing better to do, Mont got a fishing line from the negro who
usually attended upon him, and amused himself with catching some of the
fish that swam round the ship.

No one made any preparation to repel an attack of the Papouans, which
alarmed Mont very much.

He had, however, so much confidence in the sagacity of Captain Vindex
that he believed he would not be caught asleep.

For two hours he continued his sport with tolerable success, and was so
wrapped up in it that he forgot the natives for the time.

While he was engaged in pulling up a good bite, an arrow whizzed past
him.

Mont dropped his fish, a