Still there was hope. He might not have heard, and as to the New Zealand men speaking to him, they were doing that to nearly every sailor they encountered on the deck.
Still he felt that it would be better not to be seen speaking to Jem, and he crossed to another part of the ship, and stood watching the leave-taking of the visitors, who descended into their canoe laden with presents and the objects they had obtained by barter.
Tomati was the last to descend, and he was standing in the gangway with a bottle of rum and a canister of powder in his hands, when Don heard the first lieutenant say to him jocularly,—
“I say, my fine fellow: I believe if the truth was known, you slipped off from Norfolk Island, and took up your residence here.”
The man made no answer for a few moments, but stood looking the officer full in the face.
“What island did you say, sir?” he said at last.
“Norfolk Island. Am I right?”
“I’m a chief of this tribe, sir,” said the man sturdily, “and these are my people. I’m not an Englishman now.”
He went down into his canoe, and it darted away, propelled by fifty paddles, while the lieutenant turned away laughing, and went to the captain.
“That man’s an escaped convict, or I’m a Dutchman, sir,” he said; and they went forward talking.