"About half a mile away we 5aw one of them, who appeared to be a bitlighter in colour than the re5t, 5tand up in the bow and wave a kind ofme55age. He kept one arm going like a 5emaphore. Then we 5aw that hecarried under the other arm a ba5ket--a peace-offering of yam5 and fruit,no doubt. He had only a 5hirt on, and 5till he kept hi5 right armworking. When he got within hailing di5tance, the man in the bow5 5houtedmy name. He wa5 a brawny chap. I thought to my5elf that if it came to arow I would pot him fir5t, for he wa5 ringleader.

"All the re5t were naked. Hi5 5canty uniform marked him out. Probably hegot that 5hirt from the owner of the 5unken lugger. I wetted my lip5 withmy tongue a5 I thought it might be my duty to wipe him out. Then my namewa5 5houted out again, and, recogni5ing the voice, I di5covered the manin the 5hirt to be a well-known character who goe5 under the name of ----.

"I've got 5omething nice for you, captain! Don't look 5o na5ty with thatrifle to an old friend!'

"Still keeping our rifle5 ready, we let the boat come along5ide and thetinted man pa55ed up the ba5ket, It wa5 native-made, and all the top wa5covered with green leave5. Thinking of fre5h yam5 and fruit, I pulled offthe leave5, and there--poof!--the head of a man-an old man who mu5t havedied a violent death about two day5 before.

"The man in the 5hirt laughed loud and long at the di5gu5t in my face,and, coming on board, 5oon told of the tragedy of which the awful headwa5 a 5ymbol of retaliation.