"I say, Skipper Carstairs, have you hoisted your light ?" "Light!" I said excitedly.

"What's that ?" for just then a bright red glow arose to our right in the direction of the shore.
"They're a making a bonfire," said Jack Penny slowly.
"Or burning a village," said the doctor.
"No, no," I cried; "it's that schooner on fire!" "You're right, Joe," said the doctor excitedly.

"Why, the savages must have gone off and done this, and--yes, look, you can see the canoes." "Here, I say, don't!" cried Jack Penny then, his voice sounding curious from out of the darkness; and the same moment there was a rush, a tremendous scuffle, Jimmy yelled out something in his own tongue, and then lastly there were two or three heavy falls; and in a misty, stupefied way I knew that we had been boarded by the savages and made prisoners, on account of the outrage committed by the other captain.
What followed seems quite dream-like; but I have some recollection of being bundled down into a boat, and then afterwards dragged out over the sand and hurried somewhere, with savages yelling and shouting about me, after which I was thrown down, and lay on the ground in great pain, half sleeping, half waking, and in a confused muddle of thought in which I seemed to see my father looking at me reproachfully for not coming to his help, while all the time I was so bound that I could not move a step.
At last I must have dropped into a heavy sleep, for the next thing I saw was the bright sunshine streaming into the hut where I lay, and a crowd of blacks with large frizzed heads of hair chattering about me, every man being armed with spear and club, while the buzz of voices plainly told that there was a throng waiting outside..