I had always vowed vengeance, and now
I had my chance. It was as if fate had placed him in my way that
I might pay my debt before I left the island. He stood on the
bank with his back to me, and his carbine on his shoulder. I
looked about for a stone to beat out his brains with, but none
could I see. Then a queer thought came into my head and showed
me where I could lay my hand on a weapon. I sat down in the
darkness and unstrapped my wooden leg. With three long hops I
was on him. He put his carbine to his shoulder, but I struck him
full, and knocked the whole front of his skull in. You can see
the split in the wood now where I hit him. We both went down
together, for I could not keep my balance, but when I got up I
found him still lying quiet enough. I made for the boat, and in
an hour we were well out at sea. Tonga had brought all his
earthly possessions with him, his arms and his gods. Among other
things, he had a long bamboo spear, and some Andaman cocoa-nut
matting, with which I made a sort of sail. For ten days we were
beating about, trusting to luck, and on the eleventh we were
picked up by a trader which was going from Singapore to Jiddah
with a cargo of Malay pilgrims.
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