{"id":"01KG8AM7Y9ZKAK9RZQCSWMV47D","cid":"bafkreifqc5dubsewwjiefxhwpof22ltl2b6axvgqpighyz4trw5tfnjolq","type":"chunk","properties":{"end_line":4485,"extracted_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:25.200Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"Chunk 5","source_file":"01KG89J1JYRSHWXR7JM0HYS9D4","start_line":4411,"text":"in pressing us to partake, and to remove all bashfulness on our part,\r\nset us no despicable example in his own person.\r\n\r\nThe repast concluded, a pipe was lighted, which passed from mouth to\r\nmouth, and yielding to its soporific influence, the quiet of the place,\r\nand the deepening shadows of approaching night, my companion and I sank\r\ninto a kind of drowsy repose, while the chief and Kory-Kory seemed to be\r\nslumbering beside us.\r\n\r\nI awoke from an uneasy nap, about midnight, as I supposed; and, raising\r\nmyself partly from the mat, became sensible that we were enveloped\r\nin utter darkness. Toby lay still asleep, but our late companions had\r\ndisappeared. The only sound that interrupted the silence of the place\r\nwas the asthmatic breathing of the old men I have mentioned, who reposed\r\nat a little distance from us. Besides them, as well as I could judge,\r\nthere was no one else in the house.\r\n\r\nApprehensive of some evil, I roused my comrade, and we were engaged in a\r\nwhispered conference concerning the unexpected withdrawal of the natives\r\nwhen all at once, from the depths of the grove, in full view of us\r\nwhere we lay, shoots of flame were seen to rise, and in a few moments\r\nilluminated the surrounding trees, casting, by contrast, into still\r\ndeeper gloom the darkness around us.\r\n\r\nWhile we continued gazing at this sight, dark figures appeared moving\r\nto and fro before the flames; while others, dancing and capering about,\r\nlooked like so many demons.\r\n\r\nRegarding this new phenomenon with no small degree of trepidation, I\r\nsaid to my companion, ‘What can all this mean, Toby?’\r\n\r\n‘Oh, nothing,’ replied he; ‘getting the fire ready, I suppose.’\r\n\r\n‘Fire!’ exclaimed I, while my heart took to beating like a trip-hammer,\r\n‘what fire?’\r\n\r\n‘Why, the fire to cook us, to be sure, what else would the cannibals be\r\nkicking up such a row about if it were not for that?’\r\n\r\n‘Oh, Toby! have done with your jokes; this is no time for them;\r\nsomething is about to happen, I feel confident.’\r\n\r\n‘Jokes, indeed?’ exclaimed Toby indignantly. ‘Did you ever hear me joke?\r\nWhy, for what do you suppose the devils have been feeding us up in this\r\nkind of style during the last three days, unless it were for something\r\nthat you are too much frightened at to talk about? Look at that\r\nKory-Kory there!--has he not been stuffing you with his confounded\r\nmushes, just in the way they treat swine before they kill them? Depend\r\nupon it, we will be eaten this blessed night, and there is the fire we\r\nshall be roasted by.’\r\n\r\nThis view of the matter was not at all calculated to allay my\r\napprehensions, and I shuddered when I reflected that we were indeed at\r\nthe mercy of a tribe of cannibals, and that the dreadful contingency\r\nto which Toby had alluded was by no means removed beyond the bounds of\r\npossibility.\r\n\r\n‘There! I told you so! they are coming for us!’ exclaimed my companion\r\nthe next moment, as the forms of four of the islanders were seen in\r\nbold relief against the illuminated back-ground mounting the pi-pi and\r\napproaching towards us.\r\n\r\nThey came on noiselessly, nay stealthily, and glided along through the\r\ngloom that surrounded us as if about to spring upon some object they\r\nwere fearful of disturbing before they should make sure of it.--Gracious\r\nheaven! the horrible reflections which crowded upon me that moment.--A\r\ncold sweat stood upon my brow, and spell-bound with terror I awaited my\r\nfate!\r\n\r\nSuddenly the silence was broken by the well-remembered tones of Mehevi,\r\nand at the kindly accents of his voice my fears were immediately\r\ndissipated. ‘Tommo, Toby, ki ki!’ (eat). He had waited to address us,\r\nuntil he had assured himself that we were both awake, at which he seemed\r\nsomewhat surprised.\r\n\r","title":"Chunk 5"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG8AJQ78EX3KNDMBF2ER8JQ1","peer_type":"chapter","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KG89J1JYRSHWXR7JM0HYS9D4","peer_type":"file","predicate":"extractedFrom"},{"peer":"01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG8AM7Y9PTAF6GB91D95EBC4","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"prev"},{"peer":"01KG8AM7Y9069ZQTYHC2G8XN6T","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"next"}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:30.665Z","ts":"2026-01-30T20:48:36.796Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF0H3YRP9ZSM033AM0QJ47H"}}