Ralph," he added, lowering
his voice, "if you had seen the bloody deeds that I have witnessed done
on these decks, you would not need to ask if we were pirates. But
you'll find it out soon enough. As for the missionaries, the captain
favours them because they are useful to him. The South Sea Islanders
are such incarnate fiends that they are the better of being tamed, and
the missionaries are the only men who can do it."
Our track after this lay through several clusters of small islets,
among which we were becalmed more than once. During this part of our
voyage the watch on deck and the look-out at the masthead were more
than usually vigilant, as we were not only in danger of being attacked
by the natives (who, I learned from the captain's remarks, were a
bloody and deceitful tribe at this group), but we were also exposed to
much risk from the multitudes of coral reefs that rose up in the
channels between the islands, some of them just above the surface,
others a few feet below it. Our precautions against the savages, I
found, were indeed necessary.
One day we were becalmed among a group of small islands, most of which
appeared to be uninhabited. As we were in want of fresh water, the
captain sent the boat ashore to bring off a cask or two. But we were
mistaken in thinking there were no natives; for scarcely had we drawn
near to the shore when a band of naked blacks rushed out of the bush
and assembled on the beach, brandishing their clubs and spears in a
threatening manner.
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