They still
outnumbered our party by three; but we were flushed with victory, while
they were taken by surprise and dispirited by the fall of their chief.
Moreover, they were awe-struck by the sweeping fury of Jack, who seemed
to have lost his senses altogether, and had no sooner shaken himself
free of the chief's body than he rushed into the midst of them, and in
three blows equalised our numbers. Peterkin and I flew to the rescue,
the savages followed us, and in less than ten minutes the whole of our
opponents were knocked down or made prisoners, bound hand and foot, and
extended side by side upon the sea-shore.
Chapter XX
Intercourse with the savages--Cannibalism prevented--The slain
are buried and the survivors depart, leaving us again alone on our
Coral Island.
After the battle was over, the savages crowded round us and gazed at us
in surprise, while they continued to pour upon us a flood of questions,
which, being wholly unintelligible, of course we could not answer.
However, by way of putting an end to it, Jack took the chief (who had
recovered from the effects of his wound) by the hand and shook it
warmly. No sooner did the blacks see that this was meant to express
good-will than they shook hands with us all round. After this ceremony
was gone through, Jack went up to the girl, who had never once moved
from the rock where she had been left, but had continued an eager
spectator of all that had passed.
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