Lives of Alcyone

hut, and barred their way, but they were still dazed with sleep, and
before they could do anything effective Alcyone drove his spear into
one of them, while the sailor sprang unarmed upon the other, bore
him to the ground, and then stunned him with a blow from his own
club. The woman’ s shouts, however, were awakening more
savages, so our heroes started at full speed for the sea. Only one of
the cannibals was in time to interpose himself between them and the
object of their desires, and the sailors disposed of him with the club,
which he still retained. They reached the shore, pushed off hurriedly
the smallest of the canoes which they found drawn up on the beach,
threw themselves into her, and commenced to paddle with feverish
haste. A boat was put off after them, but they had a good start and
both of them were expert rowers, so they were able to keep their
distance until they got well out to sea. The pursuing boat persevered
for some time; but presently, seeing that they did not gain upon the
fugitives, the savages gave up the chase with a yell of disgust and
hatred, and sent after them a final flight of arrows, one of which
wounded the sailor in the leg.
The escape was thus an accomplished fact, but they were
entirely without food and water, afloat on a great ocean in a small
canoe, with no idea where or which way to steer. they knew only
that India lay to the west of them, but they knew, also that it must be
many hundreds of miles away, and that both wind and waves were
carrying them decidedly eastward. they agreed that their only hope
was speedily to reach some uninhabited island, for in this part of the
world inhabitants meant cannibals. But meantime no island was in
sight but that which they had left, to which they dared not return, and
they were beginning already to suffer terribly from thirst. Seeing that
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