They wandered about looking more like ghosts
than human beings, and now still another danger threatened. For a long
time they had noticed that the cannibals were preparing to attack them.
"How shall we protect ourselves?" asked the Captain; "if they really do
fall upon us, we are lost. Willy go have Peppo tell his people who
have not been baptized that it is high time that they attend to the
matter, and then climb the mast to see if you can make out what the
cannibals are doing. We will sell our hides as dearly as possible."
Willy delivered the message to Peppo, and climbed the mast, which after
the destruction of the wreck had been put up on the shore as a place
from which to keep a lookout for passing vessels rather than to spy on
the neighbors opposite. The sailors were so sick and weak that none of
them could climb the mast to the crow's nest, so the task always
devolved on the two boys, who though they had eaten of the salt meat,
had not as yet been attacked with scurvy. This time instead of
watching the sea Willy gave his attention to the natives who had built
a raft and were manning it to cross the inlet and make an attack.
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