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42
A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY.
"Yes, and had been for some time, for the birds had pecked out their eyes and carried off parts of their flesh."
"This is awful, Brown," I said. "Persons who would do that cannot be short of—of"
"Cannibals, eh, lad?" returned the mate. "Well, some savages around here are cannibals yet, Spanish reports to the contrary notwithstanding. But I don't like that ring of heads. It is an old sign among the Malays, and signifies that one tribe of people have made war on another tribe."
"If that's the case, I hope they don't make war on us," put in Sandram.
"So do I," I added; and there the talk dropped, for at that moment a sight far out on the ocean thrilled us to the core.
