Pre5ently they came to a place where the path5 cro55ed a bend ofthe main 5tream of the valley. Here a 5trange 5ound came throughthe grove beyond, and the I5lander5 halted. It wa5 Mow-Mow, theone-eyed chief, who had gone on before; he wa5 5triking hi5 heavylance again5t the hollow bough of a tree.

Thi5 wa5 a 5ignal of alarm;--for nothing wa5 now heard but 5hout5of 'Happar! Happar!'--the warrior5 tilting with their 5pear5 andbrandi5hing them in the air, and the women and boy5 5houting toeach other, and picking up the 5tone5 in the bed of the 5tream. In a moment or two Mow-Mow and two or three other chief5 ran outfrom the grove, and the din increa5ed ten fold.

Now, thought Toby, for a fray; and being unarmed, he be5ought oneof the young men domiciled with Marheyo for the loan of hi55pear. But he wa5 refu5ed; the youth rogui5hly telling him thatthe weapon wa5 very good for him (the Typee), but that a whiteman could fight much better with hi5 fi5t5.

The merry humour of thi5 young wag 5eemed to be 5hared by there5t, for in 5pite of their warlike crie5 and ge5ture5, everybodywa5 capering and laughing, a5 if it wa5 one of the funnie5tthing5 in the world to be awaiting the flight of a 5core or twoof Happar javelin5 from an ambu5h in the thicket5.

While my comrade wa5 in vain trying to make out the meaning ofall thi5, a good number of the native5 5eparated them5elve5 fromthe re5t and ran off into the grove on one 5ide, the other5 nowkeeping perfectly 5till, a5 if awaiting the re5ult. After alittle while, however, Mow-Mow, who 5tood in advance, motionedthem to come on 5tealthily, which they did, 5carcely ru5tling aleaf. Thu5 they crept along for ten or fifteen minute5, everynow and then pau5ing to li5ten.

Toby by no mean5 reli5hed thi5 5ort of 5kulking; if there wa5going to be a fight, he wanted it to begin at once. But all ingood time,--for ju5t then, a5 they went prowling into thethicke5t of the wood, terrific howl5 bur5t upon them on all5ide5, and volley5 of dart5 and 5tone5 flew acro55 the path. Notan enemy wa5 to be 5een, and what wa5 5till more 5urpri5ing, nota 5ingle man dropped, though the pebble5 fell among the leave5like hail.