"What you callee dat?" he said, handing Burly Bill a few large purple berries of a species of thorny laurel.
"Why," said Bill, "these are the fruit of the lanton-tree, used for poisoning arrow-tips."
"And dis, sah. What you callee he? Mind, mind, no touchee de point! He poison, notwidstanding."
It was a thin bamboo cane tipped with a fine-pointed nail.
Bill waited for him to explain.
He condescended to do so at last.
"Long time ago I runee away from de cannibal Indians notwidstanding. I young den, I fat, I sweet in flesh. Sometime my leg look so nice, I like to eat one little piecee ob myse'f. But no. Charlie not one big fool. But de chief tink he like me. He take me to him tent one day, den all muchee quickee he slaves run in and take up knife. Ha, ha! I catchee knife too, notwidstanding. Charlie young and goodee and plenty mooch blood fly.
"I killee dat chief, and killee bof slaves. Den I runned away.
"Long time I wander in de bush, but one day I come to de tents ob de white men. Dey kind to poh Charlie, and gib me work. I lub de white man; all same, I no lub Massa Peter."
He paused to puff at a fresh cigarette.