eck with our guns."

"Don't make the mistake of despising their weapons, for every one is
covered with a poison so deadly that a single scratch would be more
dangerous than a wound from a bullet."

"Do you think they have learned that we are here?"

"I can't explain in any other way the motive for the gathering; but none
of them appear to be paying very much attention to the building."

As a matter of fact, although there were four to five hundred directly
in front of the house, hardly one of them glanced toward the openings
through which the little party were gazing; but the majority appeared to
be having a most sociable time.

As the moments passed without any evidence that an attack was to be made
the voluntary prisoners began to grow more comfortable in mind, and
again Jake proposed that such people were neither able nor inclined to
inflict much injury upon any one.

Suddenly there was a great commotion among the crowd; the men shouted
and waved their weapons, danced about in the most grotesque fashion and
from afar off could be heard the sound of music.

Five minutes later the cause of this sudden change of demeanor became
apparent.

Down the street from the direction of the forest came several hundred
women decorated with the most beautiful flowers, and carrying huge
bouquets or wreaths. They trooped along without any attempt at marching
in regular order: but on arriving in front of the men they halted
suddenly in response to sharp strokes on a gong or tongueless bell which
one of them held high in the air.

The men were now on one side of the street and the women on the other,
and in this order they stood when twenty persons of both sexes, carrying
on a broad flower-covered platform a repulsive looking figure apparently
composed of gold, marched between the ranks and halted.

Instantly every one sank down with bowed head as if in adoration, and
the invisible music, accompanied by the peals of sweet-toned bells,
filled the air with melody.

"We were frightened too soon," Cummings said with a sigh of relief. "It
is a festival of some sort, and this happens to be the place where it is
to be welcomed to the city. It would be most unfortunate if Poyor should
take it into his head to come back just at this time."

"He could see the crowd before getting very near and would know enough
to stay at a distance," Neal replied. "I'd like to know what that statue
represents."

The golden figure was certainly ve