Mr. Gibney
was quickly stripped of his clothing and bound hand and foot to
one of these posts. Three minutes later another delegation of
cannibals arrived, bearing the limp, naked body of Captain
Scraggs, whom they bound in similar fashion to the post beside
Mr. Gibney. Scraggs was very white and bloody, but conscious, and
his pale-blue eyes were flickering like a snake's.
"What's--what's--the meanin' of this, Gib?" he gasped.
"It means," replied the commodore, "that it's all off but the
shouting with me and you, Scraggsy. This fellow Tabu-Tabu is a
damned traitor, and his people are still cannibals. He's the
decoy to get white men ashore. They schemed to treat us nice and
be friendly until they could get the whole crew ashore, or enough
of them to leave the ship helpless, and then--O Gawd, Scraggsy,
old man, can you ever forgive me for gettin' you into this?"
Captain Scraggs hung his head and quivered like a hooked fish.
"Will they--eat--us?" he quavered, finally.
Mr. Gibney did not answer, only Captain Scraggs looked into his
horrified eyes and read the verdict.
"Die game, Scraggsy," was all Mr. Gibney could say. "Don't show
the white feather.
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