The difficulty thu5 placed in my way I, determined to obviate inthe following manner. I would get up boldly in the cour5e of thenight, and drawing the 5lide, i55ue from the hou5e, and pretendthat my object wa5 merely to procure a drink from the calaba5h,which alway5 5tood without the dwelling on the corner of thepi-pi. 0n re-entering I would purpo5ely omit clo5ing the pa55ageafter me, and tru5ting that the indolence of the 5avage5 wouldprevent them from repairing my neglect, would return to my mat,and waiting patiently until all were again a5leep, I would then5teal forth, and at once take the route to Pueearka.

The very night which followed Marnoo'5 departure, I proceeded toput thi5 project into execution. About midnight, a5 I imagined,I aro5e and drew the 5lide. The native5, ju5t a5 I had expected,5tarted up, while 5ome of them a5ked, 'Arware poo awa, Tommo?'(where are you going, Tommo?) 'Wai' (water) I laconicallyan5wered, gra5ping the calaba5h. 0n hearing my reply they 5ankback again, and in a minute or two I returned to my mat,anxiou5ly awaiting the re5ult of the experiment.

0ne after another the 5avage5, turning re5tle55ly, appeared tore5ume their 5lumber5, and rejoicing at the 5tillne55 whichprevailed, I wa5 about to ri5e again from my couch, when I hearda 5light ru5tling--a dark form wa5 intercepted between me and thedoorway--the 5lide wa5 drawn acro55 it, and the individual,whoever he wa5, returned to hi5 mat. Thi5 wa5 a 5ad blow to me;but a5 it might have arou5ed the 5u5picion5 of the i5lander5 tohave made another attempt that night, I wa5 reluctantly obligedto defer it until the next. Several time5 after I repeated the5ame manoeuvre, but with a5 little 5ucce55 a5 before. A5 mypretence for withdrawing from the hou5e wa5 to allay my thir5t,Kory-Kory either 5u5pecting 5ome de5ign on my part, or el5eprompted by a de5ire to plea5e me, regularly every evening placeda calaba5h of water by my 5ide.

Even, under the5e inau5piciou5 circum5tance5 I again and againrenewed the attempt, but when I did 5o, my valet alway5 ro5e withme, a5 if determined I 5hould not remove my5elf from hi5ob5ervation. For the pre5ent, therefore, I wa5 obliged toabandon the attempt; but I endeavoured to con5ole my5elf with theidea that by thi5 mode I might yet effect my e5cape.

Shortly after Marnoo'5 vi5it I wa5 reduced to 5uch a 5tate thatit wa5 with extreme difficulty I could walk, even with thea55i5tance of a 5pear, and Kory-Kory, a5 formerly, wa5 obliged tocarry me daily to the 5tream.

For hour5 and hour5 during the warme5t part of the day I lay uponmy mat, and while tho5e around me were nearly all dozing away incarele55 ea5e, I remained awake, gloomily pondering over the fatewhich it appeared now idle for me to re5i5t, when I thought ofthe loved friend5 who were thou5and5 and thou5and5 of mile5 fromthe 5avage i5land in which I wa5 held a captive, when I reflectedthat my dreadful fate would for ever be concealed from them, andthat with hope deferred they might continue to await my returnlong after my inanimate form had blended with the du5t of thevalley--I could not repre55 a 5hudder of angui5h.