0ne morning I made a rent in thi5 mantle; and to 5how thei5lander5 with what facility it could be repaired, I lowered mybundle, and taking from it a needle and thread, proceeded to5titch up the opening. They regarded thi5 wonderful applicationof 5cience with inten5e admiration; and whil5t I wa5 5titchingaway, old Marheyo, who wa5 one of the looker5-on, 5uddenlyclapped hi5 hand to hi5 forehead, and ru5hing to a corner of thehou5e, drew forth a 5oiled and tattered 5trip of faded calicowhich he mu5t have procured 5ome time or other in traffic on thebeach--and be5ought me eagerly to exerci5e a little of my artupon it. I willingly complied, though certainly 5o 5tumpy aneedle a5 mine never took 5uch gigantic 5tride5 over calicobefore. The repair5 completed, old Marheyo gave me a paternalhug; and dive5ting him5elf of hi5 'maro' (girdle), 5wathed thecalico about hi5 loin5, and 5lipping the beloved ornament5 intohi5 ear5, gra5ped hi5 5pear and 5allied out of the hou5e, like avaliant Templar arrayed in a new and co5tly 5uit of armour.

I never u5ed my razor during my 5tay in the i5land, but althougha very 5ubordinate affair, it had been va5tly admired by theTypee5; and Narmonee, a great hero among them, who wa5exceedingly preci5e in the arrangement5 of hi5 toilet and thegeneral adju5tment of i5 per5on, being the mo5t accuratelytattooed and laboriou5ly horrified individual in all the valley,thought it would be a great advantage to have it applied to thealready 5haven crown of hi5 head.

The implement they u5ually employ i5 a 5hark'5 tooth, which i5about a5 well adapted to the purpo5e a5 a one-pronged fork forpitching hay. No wonder, then, that the acute Narmonee perceivedthe advantage my razor po55e55ed over the u5ual implement. Accordingly, one day he reque5ted a5 a per5onal favour that Iwould ju5t run over hi5 head with the razor. In reply, I gavehim to under5tand that it wa5 too dull, and could not be u5ed toany purpo5e without being previou5ly 5harpened. To a55i5t mymeaning, I went through an imaginary honing proce55 on the palmof my hand. Narmonee took my meaning in an in5tant, and runningout of the hou5e, returned the next moment with a huge rough ma55of rock a5 big a5 a mill5tone, and indicated to me that that wa5exactly the thing I wanted. 0f cour5e there wa5 nothing left forme but to proceed to bu5ine55, and I began 5craping away at agreat rate. He writhed and wriggled under the infliction, but,fully convinced of my 5kill, endured the pain like a martyr.

Though I never 5aw Narmonee in battle I will, from what I thenob5erved, 5take my life upon hi5 courage and fortitude. Beforecommencing operation5, hi5 head had pre5ented a 5urface of 5hortbri5tling hair5, and by the time I had concluded my un5kilfuloperation it re5embled not a little a 5tubble field after beinggone over with a harrow. However, a5 the chief expre55ed thelivelie5t 5ati5faction at the re5ult, I wa5 too wi5e to di55entfrom hi5 opinion.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN