He went quietly out seaward, and
at the last, when I turned unwillingly to retrace my steps, I saw his black
head bobbing about on the calm surface.
When, after a series of
involuntary feats on the mangrove rope, I again stood on 'terra firma', all
the pigeons had left; and I was compelled to make my way back to camp,
empty-handed, muddy, cut about the shins, and with my boots almost in
tatters. "So much," thought I, "for trying to catch a black fellow
single-handed."
My companions had shot plenty of pigeons, after roasting which we started
for the interior of the island, and without meeting with anything beyond
the ordinary routine of bad bush and mountain travelling; certainly
encountering nothing that would justify me in inflicting a prolix
description upon the reader - we arrived late on the following evening at
the rendezvous, found the 'Daylight' safely at anchor, and thus completed
one portion of our search, without having obtained the faintest clue to an
elucidation of the mystery of the 'Eva'.
The pilot reported that, to the best of his belief, no blacks had succeeded
in making their escape to the mainland; several canoes had attempted to
cross, but they had been seen and intercepted, though none of their
occupants had been captured. One canoe he had taken possession of, and now
showed us, which was, I think, the most primitive piece of naval
architecture any of us had seen. Canoe it could hardly be called, for it
was only a sheet of bark curled up by the action of fire; the bow and stern
formed by folding the extremities, and passing a tree-nail, or, rather, a
large skewer, through the plaits.
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