Page:Ballantyne--The Coral Island.djvu/260

 she wouldn't be so obstropolous. This happened just a week ago; an' Tararo says that if she’s not ready to go, when the chief returns, as his bride, she'll be sent to him as a long pig."

"As a long pig!" I exclaimed in surprise. "Why, what does he mean by that?"

"He means somethin' very unpleasant," answered Bill with a frown. "You see, these blackguards eat men an' women just as readily as they eat pigs; and as baked pigs and baked men are very like each other in appearance, they call men long pigs. If Avatea goes to this fellow as a long pig, it's all up with her, poor thing!"

"Is she on the island now?" I asked eagerly.

"No; she's at Tararo's island."

"And where does it lie?"

"About fifty or sixty miles to the south'ard o' this," returned Bill; "but I—"

At this moment we were startled by the cry of "Mao! mao—a shark! a shark!" which was immediately followed by a shriek that rang clear and fearfully loud above the tumult of cries that arose from the savages in the water and on the land. We turned hastily towards the direction whence the cry came, and had just time to observe the glaring eyeballs of one of the swimmers as he tossed his arms in the air. Next instant he was pulled under the waves. A canoe was instantly launched, and the hand of the drowning man was caught; but only half of his body was dragged from the maw of the monster, which followed the canoe until the water became so shallow that it could scarcely swim. The crest of the next billow was tinged with red as it rolled towards the shore.

In most countries of the world this would have made