During the task of pacifying Lizzie, the “heap” had again sunk into comparative silence, and only a confused murmur was audible from its depths.  Allowing no time to be lost, Dunmore said to Lizzie —­ who was puffing out huge mouthfuls of smoke, greatly to the astonishment of the other gins, who looked as if they expected to see her suddenly blaze up —­

“Lizzie, you ask, suppose they been see any white fellow on island?  White fellow in plenty big canoe.  That fellow canoe been come like ’it shore.  You tell them, ’Baal white fellow hurt you, suppose you been show, where brother belonging to him sit down.’  You tell them that, Lizzie.”

Lizzie proceeded with the greatest gravity, and evidently with an overwhelming sense of self-importance, to put the required questions, whilst we anxiously awaited her replies.

“Well, what they been say?” exclaimed Dunmore at last, when there was a momentary break in the conversation.

I should imagine that the vernacular of the Hinchinbrook Islanders was not pre-eminently adapted for the noble intricacies of diplomatic intrigue.  In the first place it contains but few words, and none representing any number higher than five, so that even the courtly nobleman now presiding over Foreign Affairs, would find the smooth flow of his amenities subjected to rude shocks; and as for expressing any large number either in words or figures —­ say, for instance, the Alabama indemnity of three millions —­ to do so, would tax to the utmost the genius of the late Chancellor of the Exchequer.  Lizzie, in her first flash of pride, as representing a plenipotentiary armed with extraordinary powers, had commenced negotiations with the dignity and slowness of speech adapted to so exalted a personage.  But the shrill chorus which emanated from the audience was decidedly antagonistic to grave deliberation, and the anxious curiosity of the woman superseding the self imposed role of the diplomatist, our envoy lost the pompous tone she had first adopted, and a volley of queries and replies was exchanged so rapidly, and with such appalling shrillness, that we onlookers ran a great risk of being either deafened, or driven out of our senses.  At the first slackening of the wordy warfare, Dunmore put his questions, and then Lizzie said —­

“Baal there been any white fellow along of here.”

“You been sure, Lizzie, ask suppose they been see any big fellow canoe.”

Again the same hideous noise now took place, but I will not tire my readers with too minute a description of a scene with which they must now be pretty conversant, suffice it to say, that what with the real or pretended stupidity of the gins, and the imperfect English of our interpreter, we were more puzzled at the conclusion of the debate than we had been at its commencement.

“Had they seen a vessel?”

“Oh yes, big fellow, with wings like ’it bird.”

“How long ago?”