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Neither thou, nor Tematau, nor the people of this village, nor I, shall come to any harm from the German fighting-ship. For when it comes thou and I, and Tematau, and Tepi, who know of the blood let out this day upon the floor of thy house, will be far away.
I found a few loose ones, but so wetted as to be useless, and was just about to return to my dwelling-house in disgust, when I heard my name called softly, and a hand touched my knee. "Who is it?" I said, greatly startled that any one should be in the boat-shed at such a time. "'Tis I, Niâbon, the Danger Island girl; and Tematau lieth here on the ground near me.
Tepi, with his arm in a sling, was bending over me, and sitting beside my bed were two padres. "Where am I, good fathers?" I asked. "In San Ignacio, my son," replied the elder of the two. "God has spared you and this Indian sailor of yours to render thanks to Him and the Holy Virgin for His mercy." "And where are my friends the two girls and Tematau? Tell me, Tepi!
In less than an hour we were pretty close to the passage; for, although we could not see it owing to the rain, we felt the force of the swift current running out, and could hear the subdued roar of the dangerous tide-rips. Tematau was for'ard, holding on to the fore-stay and peering ahead. Suddenly he gave a cry of alarm and shouted to me to luff.
See," and she showed us a still bleeding score on the right side of her neck, where a Derringer bullet had cut through the flesh. "And then he sprang at Tematau, but Tematau was on his feet and met him and stabbed him twice; and, as he fell I too stabbed him in the breast."
He is gone, and even his name is already vanished from these people among whom he has dwelt. Dost not understand me?" "No, I do not understand, Niâbon," I said more gently. "How can his name be vanished when but a few hours ago he was alive and well. Tell me, in plain English, what you mean by saying that no one can question you and Tematau and myself about the manner of his death?"
The only difficulty that presented itself to her was that the people of the village in which I lived, though not exactly at enmity with the natives of the north end of the island, were distinctly averse to holding any more communication with them than was absolutely necessary, and a refugee such as Tematau would either be turned back or kept as a slave.
When I awakened it was past nine o'clock, and I found that my own two native servants, who slept in the village, had prepared my breakfast, and were seated beside Tematau, talking to him. "Where is Niâbon?" I asked. They told me that she had gone away in search of some plant, or plants, with which to compound the medicine she was making for me.
My attack of ague lasted about half an hour, and left me with the usual splitting headache and aching bones. When I was able to turn myself, I saw that Niâbon was seated beside Tematau dressing his lacerated back with some preparation of crushed leaves. She heard me move, turned her head, and smiled, and said she would be with me in a few moments.
About four in the afternoon, as the heat of the sun began to relax, I determined to set out in the canoe. Tematau and Tepi had gone across to the weather side of the island with my gun to shoot plover and frigate birds, of which latter, so the natives had told us, there were great numbers to be found on the high trees to windward.
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