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Rh swarthy native seized his paddle and again darted behind a rock. An awful thought now took possession of me. There must be a tribe of blacks lurking on these shores, and Fritz must have fallen into their hands. We, however, I determined, should not be easily taken; and our guns were loaded and run out.

Presently a dusky face appeared, peeping at us from a lofty rock: it vanished, and we saw another peeping at us from lower down. Then again the skiff put out as though to make a further reconnoitre. All, even Jack, looked anxious, and glanced at me for orders.

“Hoist a white flag,” said I, “and hand me the speaking-trumpet.”

I seized the instrument and uttered such peaceable words in the Malay language as I could recall: neither the flag nor my words seemed to produce any effect, and the savage was about to return to the shore.