Кораловий острів

Chapter 20

           Thismanwasofamorose,sulkydisposition,andduringallthetimeheremainedontheisland,regardedusespeciallyJackwithascowlingvisage.Hisname,wefound,wasMahine.

           Thenextthreeorfourdayswerespentbythesavagesinmendingtheircanoe,whichhadbeendamagedbytheviolentshockithadsustainedonstrikingtheshore.Thiscanoewasaverycuriousstructure.Itwasaboutthirtyfeetlong,andhadahigh,toweringstern.Thetimbersofwhichitwaspartlycomposedwerefastenedmuchinthesamewayasthoseofourlittleboatwereputtogether;butthepartthatseemedmostcurioustouswasasortofoutrigger,orlongplank,whichwasattachedtothebodyofthecanoebymeansoftwostoutcross-beams.Thesebeamskepttheplankparallelwiththecanoe,butnotincontactwithit,foritfloatedinthewaterwithanopenspacebetweenthusformingasortofdoublecanoe.This,wefound,wasintendedtopreventtheupsettingofthecanoe,whichwassonarrowthatitcouldnothavemaintainedanuprightpositionwithouttheoutrigger.Wecouldnothelpwonderingbothattheingenuityandtheclumsinessofthiscontrivance.

           Whenthecanoewasready,weassistedthenativestocarrytheprisonersintoit,andhelpedthemtoloaditwithprovisionsandfruit.Peterkinalsowenttotheplum-treeforthepurposeofmakingaspecialonslaughtuponthehogs,andkillednolessthansixofthem.Thesewebakedandpresentedtoourfriends,onthedayoftheirdeparture.

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