TILA'S TREASURE.

163

He wanted me very much to go with him; but as he was going back to Santa Clara, and round about to places unknown, to me, where he had left two white men to fish, I declined.

He took us below, and out of the terrible confusion and havoc gave us a good pocket-knife each and some pipes and tobacco, telling us he would not forget our kindness should he ever come back again. "A bad business! A bad business!" Who could look round upon the death and desolation on board the ill-fated vessel and deny it?

With a tearful good-bye to trembling, horrified Charley, and a last look at dead, disfigured, innocent George, my brother and I distributing our presents in our mouths, ears, hair, and hands, dived from the little gangway and swam ashore.

By dark the ill-starred Minerva had got well over towards Lama, and Diara and I had paddled home.

"Tila will rejoice to-night," said I sadly, as we shouldered the canoe, 66 over his guns and clocks."

"The clock frightened them out of their wits-for it ticked, ticked, ticked all the way up to Matanga, and there they stoned it to death, for they said there must be a white demon inside it." "Taorémbé should have known better than that-the traitor." "He wasn't there."

"What was he doing not to be there?"

66

Why, brother, he and Tila were busy with the spoil he values most of all-you know I suppose?"

66

66

The guns I should have thought."

"No, no, my brother: not the guns ;-but the White Man's head!

CHAPTER XXXVI.

CIVILIZATION.

DIARA and the Ambupono chiefs were all angry with Tila for his attack on their vessel, as they were pleased to call it. They were jealous, too, of the Matanga people having so many guns and so much treasure.

The Uri also were angry; and Malagai and Toroa were reported to have said that the Matanga people had "killed a vessel," and had therefore got guns; while they had not "killed a vessel," and had therefore got no guns; while "to have guns" they esteemed to be the one thing worth living for.

"Beesopay and Waykayfeeloo are no good," they argued ; "they don't give us guns. Who are Tila and Taorémbé, that they should have guns-and blankets, and cloths, and beads, and axes, and clocks, as the sand of the sea-shore, and without asking; while we, with much asking, get one crumb?" And much more to the same effect.

I went to Matanga a few days afterwards and had a look at the property they had stolen. I knew, too, where the treasure they set most store by was; but I forbade myself to look upon that. What they thought most worthless I prized most highly, and bought for a pipe-namely, George's Prayer-Book and Charley Burton's diary.

The wheels of the clock had been distributed, and were being worn as ear-rings, nose-rings, and brooches; but Tila had kept the face for himself, and wore it proudly upon his breast.

What disgusted me most was to see the clothes of the murdered men upon their murderers, and it seemed to me as though punishment must fall upon them; for I did not stop to

ANOTHER VISITOR.

165

think just then of the terrible outrages which these savage men had suffered at the hands of the so-called civilised white The innocent victims were my friends, and I regarded their murderers as my enemies.

men.

So little did I hide my sentiments that I soon saw that Matanga was no longer a safe place for me. I did not like the look of Taorémbé's eye.

This agitation was not yet over when another vessel appeared —another brig—a towering mass of canvas, which at first I made sure must be a man-of-war. This visitor came from the westward.

She rounded-to, as the other brig had done, and off went canoes as if nothing of an untoward kind had ever happened. Diara, saying that a man could only die once, got some sambeeree together, and we paddled off. For my own part, I felt rather careless as to what became of me.

They let us come on board as we liked, but they were all armed, and seemed a rough, brutal set. The decks were soon full of our people, and a pretty brisk trade was going on, while a fleet of some forty canoes formed a platform round the vessel. I did not trade, but looked about me with an observant eye. She was in a filthy condition, and sadly out of repair.

There was a large party of Surakana men on board, and men from all the islands to the westward, with new fashions of loincloth and of dressing their hair. The shape of their eyes, too, was peculiar-long and narrow, and not set straight in their heads.

One of the party was dressed like the Bishop: not as he appeared at Pombuana, but as on Sundays at Happy Island, with a long coat and a broad hat. Moreover, he held a Hymn Book in his hand.

I ventured to ask him where they came from and who they He said they were Missionaries, sent by Bishop Curwen, and would I join him in singing a hymn, preparatory

were.

to going ashore and getting some promising lads, to take them away and teach them.

Standing by the open hatchway, and with the assistance of another man and of some English-speaking, light-coloured men, he began the first verse of the Old Hundredth Psalm, very slowly and drearily, and with his eyes turned up to heaven.

He could sing pretty well, certainly; and I listened with some degree of pleasure to the familiar strain, thinking that this might be a nice vessel to voyage in, having such godly company on board; but when the singer came to the middle of the third line of the second verse, he cast down his eyes again for a moment to see what came next, and to my amazement continued as follows, omitting his profanity:

"Now, then, Nicholson, what are you at?"

Here the Hymn Book flew at Nicholson's head. "What do you mean, you idiot, by taking the cover off that iron ballast? Get the loops ready, man, and the other inducements. The game's up!"

Here the hat hasted to join the Hymn Book, and both were humbly brought back by Nicholson (rather the worse for their collision with Nicholson's hard head), who was rebuked for not saying Thank you, for them.

The long coat was torn off, and with the hat, which had been fisted into shape again, was thrown to Nicholson with an oath, and the order to put them where they belonged. shan't want 'em again this voyage."

"We

"Aye, aye, your Reverence!" cried Nicholson, as he went aft. "Come, none of your sauce," answered the late singer (with a participle I have left out), who seemed disposed to be hard upon Nicholson, but perhaps not without cause; for he had certainly been behind-hand in covering up that ballast, which I at once recognised as pieces of pig-iron of the same kind which had been used before in smashing our canoes.

A SHAM BISHOP.

167

This made me look about and take more careful notice. I soon perceived that a general arming was going on under the direction of a tall, spare, greyish-whiskered man in rusty black, whom they addressed as Doctor, and I heard the Captain roughly order the late Bishop, now peeled down to a redshirted ruffian, to go and see that all was right below, and to have a hand or two ready with the hatches. When, in addition to this, I beheld men letting down nooses fore and aft, and getting ready to throw the iron and heavy stones overboard, why, then I ran to the bulwarks amidships and stood and shouted as loud as I could:

"O, all ye people! this is a bad vessel-with a sham Bishop -a manstealer—a killer! Don't believe them-Bishop never sent them-look out for your canoes! they're going to smash them-ashore with us all, at once-there's death on board this ship."

The next thing I was aware of was a hard blow in my chest ; then a severe fall, a clatter and a rattle overhead, darkness, and bruises!

Diara, Taorémbé, and about a score of us altogether had been 'rushed' and thrown down the hatchway, which was immediately closed upon us. There we were ! caught like fish in a net. We fell upon others who had been caught in the same way.

Just think of the anger and sorrow of my people at the loss of Diara- -of the tears and lamentations of his wife and little Mina. Imagine Tila's and Malagai's rage at the capture of Taorémbé. If there was any devil in them it would out now. Would even the Aurora be safe? How could I warn them? What could I do? Nothing at all. For before we had time to gather our senses, our hands and feet were tied, and we were dragged from under the hatchway, which was opened again, and another heavy shower of bodies came battering down.

We were then untied, and two small gratings were opened in the dark hatches, which allowed us a little light and air.