"Cannibals!" gasped Jim. "I see our finish."
"Long pig, eh, Jim?" laughed the rover.
"Them cannibals is some like redskins, ain't they?" inquired Broncho, taking no notice of Jack's levity. "Cold an' p'isonous as rattlesnakes, an' the way they've daubed themselves shows they're plumb ready for the thunderbolt of war."
"Tattooing," explained Jack; and as soon as they were close enough he sang out, "Ship ahoy!"
One of the Kanakas waved his arm, but the other jumped up and down, evidently very excited, and gave vent to the most weird cries.
"He's throwin' off some mighty high-flung whoops. What's that ghost-dance he's evolvin' thar? Do you savvy, Jack, if that's his wardance?" inquired the cowboy.
"Oh, Lord!" groaned poor Jim dismally. "Here we are right into a horde of man-eatin' savages."
"Stick your spurs in, sonny, an' we'll stampede right over 'em on the top of the next wave, so as they won't know if it's a landslide or a cloud-burst that devastates 'em," said Broncho heartily.
"Stand by to heave us a rope," hailed Jack again.