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Updated: May 21, 2025
At length Rokoa received a staggering blow on the back of the head, from a clod of earth, thrown by some one who had stolen round behind the rock for that purpose, and who immediately afterwards disappeared in the throng. "`How much longer are we to endure this? cried Barton. `Must we stand here and suffer ourselves to be murdered by these cowardly attacks?
This we accordingly did, and continued strolling through the garden until it became quite dark. Rokoa had now been gone nearly an hour, and Barton began to grow restless and troubled. Mowno, stationing himself at the end of the walk leading from the house, leaned upon the gate in a listening attitude.
"Upon the arrival of the messenger, as already related, with a requisition for one victim from the village, the majority of Mowno's advisers had insisted upon selecting Rokoa for that purpose, and thus avoiding the necessity of sacrificing one of their own people.
An exulting cry behind us at once explained his absence: at the same time we could hear him call out in a voice broken by exhaustion, `Save yourselves, you can do nothing for me! Without an instant's hesitation, Rokoa turned, and we rushed back into the midst of our shouting enemies. Three or four of the party which had been in pursuit of us, were just coming up.
The two then walked together to the skirts of the wood, where the others still kept themselves, and Rokoa after distributing his trinkets, came down to the beach again, and beckoned us to come ashore, supposing that our crew might by this time be so far reassured as to venture it.
As soon as the canoe was beached, and we were all fairly ashore, the natives came forward, somewhat hastily, from the skirt of the wood, probably in the expectation of receiving further presents; but our men, mistaking this sudden advance for a hostile movement, laid hold of the canoe, and would have put her into the water again, had not Rokoa, armed with a heavy paddle, and backed by Barton with his pistols, interfered with so much decision and vigour, that their fears began to take a new direction and they came to the sensible conclusion, that they had better run the risk of being roasted and eaten by the cannibals, than encounter the far more immediate danger of having their heads broken by the club of their chief, or their bodies bored through by the pistol-balls of the young Papalangi.
"Rokoa shook his head. `There are others here, he said, `more powerful than Mowno, and who are our enemies: we must rely upon ourselves.
Rokoa, however, believed that the weather would change again in the morning, and determined to continue on our course; we accordingly ran before the wind, with barely sufficient sail to keep the canoe steady, and enable us to steer her.
"On the other hand, the leader of the party of natives spoke to them, and restrained their impatience; then, advancing before the rest, he waved his hand, and throwing himself into an oratorical attitude, made a little speech, thanking Rokoa for his gifts, and welcoming us to the island.
"Just as the native girls finished singing, we were joined by a fresh party of eight or ten men, who came across the brook, and mingled with the others. I heard Barton say to Rokoa, `There is the old priest again, but on looking around I could not see him.
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