THE WHITE MAN'S FOOT.
BY
GRANT ALLEN,
AUTHOR OF "BABYLON," "IN ALL SHADES," ETC., ETC.
WITH SEVENTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS BY J. FINNEMORE.
LONDON:
HATCHARDS, PICCADILLY, W.
1888.
RICHARD CLAY AND SONS, LIMITED,
LONDON AND BUNGAY.
DEDICATION.
TO
JERRARD GRANT ALLEN,
THE ONLY BEGETTER OF THESE ENSUING ADVENTURES.
My Dear Grantie,
From the following pages, written with a single eye to your own personaltastes and predilections, you may, I trust, learn three Great MoralLessons.
First, never to approach too near the edge of an active volcano.
Second, never to continue your intimacy with a man who deliberately andwickedly declines to pull you out of a burning crater.
And third, never to intrust the care of youth to a cannibal heathenSouth Sea Islander.
With the trifling exception of these three now enumerated, I am notaware that you can extract any Great Moral Lesson whatsoever from thehairbreadth escapes of Kea and her associates.
Having thus almost entirely satisfied your expressed wishes in thismatter—for "a story without a moral"—I subscribe myself, with pride,
Your obedient servant and very loving father,
G.A.
"BOWING DOWN TOWARDS THE MOUTH OF THE CRATER, THEY SEEMED TO SALUTE THEGODDESS OF THE VOLCANO" Frontispiece.
"IT'S MORE THAN DANGEROUS. IT'S ALMOST CERTAINLY FATAL"
"ALL AT ONCE A GREAT BODY OF GAS WAS EJECTED INTO THE AIR, IN A BLAZE OFLIGHT"
"'YOUNG MAN,' HE CRIED, '...I WARN YOU NOT TO TRIFLE WITH THE BURNINGMOUNTAIN'"
"I ROLLED DOWN RAPIDLY TO THE VERY BOTTOM"
"I LAY THERE HORROR-STRICKEN, AND GAZED IDLY DOWN"
"I CLUTCHED THE CRUMBLING PEAK WITH MY HOOKED FINGERS"
"SHE CARRIED ME SLOWLY UP THE ZIG-ZAG PATH"
"'IF YOU KNEW ALL,' SHE ANSWERED, 'HOW YOU WOULD PITY ME!'"
"'EVERYTHING IS CORRECT,' HE WHISPERED"
"SHE LOOKED UP IN AN AGONY OF SUSPENSE"
"A STRANGE PROCESSION BEGAN SLOWLY TO DESCEND"
"THE BAMBOO BENT OMINOUSLY DOWN"
"WE RODE AT FULL SPEED IN BREATHLESS HASTE"
(Two "dropcap" illustrations at beginning of chapter are not included here, M.D.)
THE WHITE MAN'S FOOT.
CHAPTER I
My brother Frank is a most practica