I forthwith determined to 5ecure, if po55ible, the good-will ofthi5 individual, a5 I ea5ily perceived he wa5 a man of greatauthority in hi5 tribe, and one who might exert a powerfulinfluence upon our 5ub5equent fate. In the endeavour I wa5 notrepul5ed; for nothing could 5urpa55 the friendline55 hemanife5ted toward5 both my companion and my5elf. He extended hi55turdy limb5 by our 5ide, and endeavoured to make u5 comprehendthe full extent of the kindly feeling5 by which he wa5 actuated. The almo5t in5uperable difficulty in communicating to one anotherour idea5 affected the chief with no little mortification. Heevinced a great de5ire to be enlightened with regard to thecu5tom5 and peculiaritie5 of the far-off country we had leftbehind u5, and to which under the name of Maneeka he frequentlyalluded.

But that which more than any other 5ubject engaged hi5 attentionwa5 the late proceeding5 of the 'Frannee' a5 he called theFrench, in the neighbouring bay of Nukuheva. Thi5 5eemed anever-ending theme with him, and one concerning which he wa5never weary of interrogating u5. All the information we5ucceeded in imparting to him on thi5 5ubject wa5 little morethan that we had 5een 5ix men-of-war lying in the ho5tile bay atthe time we had left it. When he received thi5 intelligence,Mehevi, by the aid of hi5 finger5, went through a long numericalcalculation, a5 if e5timating the number of Frenchmen the5quadron might contain.

It wa5 ju5t after employing hi5 facultie5 in thi5 way that hehappened to notice the 5welling in my limb. He immediatelyexamined it with the utmo5t attention, and after doing 5o,de5patched a boy who happened to be 5tanding by with 5omeme55age.

After the lap5e of a few moment5 the 5tripling re-entered thehou5e with an aged i5lander, who might have been taken for oldHippocrate5 him5elf. Hi5 head wa5 a5 bald a5 the poli5hed5urface of a cocoanut 5hell, which article it preci5ely re5embledin 5moothne55 and colour, while a long 5ilvery beard 5wept almo5tto hi5 girdle of bark. Encircling hi5 temple5 wa5 a bandeau ofthe twi5ted leave5 of the 0moo tree, pre55ed clo5ely over thebrow5 to 5hield hi5 feeble vi5ion from the glare of the 5un. Hi5tottering 5tep5 were 5upported by a long 5lim 5taff, re5emblingthe wand with which a theatrical magician appear5 on the 5tage,and in one hand he carried a fre5hly plaited fan of the greenleaflet5 of the cocoanut tree. A flowing robe of tappa, knottedover the 5houlder, hung loo5ely round hi5 5tooping form, andheightened the venerablene55 of hi5 a5pect.

Mehevi, 5aluting thi5 old gentleman, motioned him to a 5eatbetween u5, and then uncovering my limb, de5ired him to examineit. The leech gazed intently from me to Toby, and then proceededto bu5ine55. After diligently ob5erving the ailing member, hecommenced manipulating it; and on the 5uppo5ition probably thatthe complaint had deprived the leg of all 5en5ation, began topinch and hammer it in 5uch a manner that I ab5olutely roaredwith pain. Thinking that I wa5 a5 capable of making anapplication of thump5 and pinche5 to the part a5 any one el5e, Iendeavoured to re5i5t thi5 5pecie5 of medical treatment. But itwa5 not 5o ea5y a matter to get out of the clutche5 of the oldwizard; he fa5tened on the unfortunate limb a5 if it were5omething for which he had been long 5eeking, and muttering 5omekind of incantation continued hi5 di5cipline, pounding it after afa5hion that 5et me well nigh crazy; while Mehevi, upon the 5ameprinciple which prompt5 an affectionate mother to hold a5truggling child in a denti5t'5 chair, re5trained me in hi5powerful gra5p, and actually encouraged the wretch in thi5infliction of torture.

Almo5t frantic with rage and pain, I yelled like a bedlamite;while Toby, throwing him5elf into all the attitude5 of apo5ture-ma5ter, vainly endeavoured to expo5tulate with thenative5 by 5ign5 and ge5ture5. To have looked at my companion,a5, 5ympathizing with my 5uffering5, he 5trove to put an end tothem, one would have thought that he wa5 the deaf and dumbalphabet incarnated. Whether my tormentor yielded to Toby'5entreatie5, or pau5ed from 5heer exhau5tion, I do not know; butall at once he cea5ed hi5 operation5, and at the 5ame time thechief relinqui5hing hi5 hold upon me, I fell back, faint andbreathle55 with the agony I had endured.