Still he would not see me, but kept sidling on till I got close up to him and gave him a smart spank on his naked shoulder.
In an instant he had spun round, leaped to a couple of yards away, and poised his spear as if to hurl. Then, acting his astonishment with great cleverness, his angry countenance broke up into a broad smile, he placed his spear into the hollow of his left arm, and stepped forward to shake hands, chattering away eagerly, though I could not understand a word.
“Come and have some breakfast,” I said, and he chattered again. “Come and have some breakfast,” I shouted; and then to myself: “How stupid I am! He can’t understand.”
So I took him by the arm, and pointed towards where my uncle was watching us with his rifle leaning against the table; and I knew that he must have been looking after my safety.
The savage stared here and there and everywhere, but he could not see my uncle till I dragged him half-way to the fire and pointed again, when he uttered a shout of surprise, as much as to say, “Well, who would have thought of seeing him there!”
He then walked up with me, grinning pleasantly, shook hands, and looked astonished as we pointed to the ground for him to sit down.
He seated himself though, at last, after sticking his spear in the sandy earth, and then watched us both as I spread some salt butter out of a pot on a piece of biscuit, and then handed him over some hot coffee, which I made very sweet, while my uncle, after shaking hands, had gone on toasting the bloater upon a stick of bamboo.
“Don’t give him the coffee too hot, Nat,” said my uncle. “There, that’s done, I think.”
“I could drink it myself, uncle,” I replied, and we placed the food before our guest, pointing to it, but he kept on shaking his head, and put his hands behind him.
“Perhaps he thinks it is not good, uncle,” I said, after we had several times partaken of our own to set him an example.