ds the
_taumualua_, which was crowded with men, and we following. When he came
within speaking distance of Tamavili, he again brought his boat to the
wind and mocked at the old man.

"Ho, ho! Tamavili. Whither goest in such a hurry? See, there in the
canoe is the little bird we both sought, and there following comes her
father. But she is neither for me nor thee. Is not her lover there, a
fine man--nearly as handsome as I am, and big enough to make ten such
rats as thee."

Tamavili was mad with rage, and did not answer. There were with Manka
six men--all armed with rifles which loaded at the breech like that
which he had given Manaia, and Manka was too great a man for even
Tamavili to hurt. But suddenly, as we in the canoe sailed in between the
boat and the _taumualua_, the old chief found his voice, and called out
to Manaia to lower his sail.

"Give me the lady Sa Luia," he said, "and I will let thee and the girl
Selema go," and as he spoke, the crew turned the _taumualua_ round and
came after us, twenty men paddling on each side.

"Keep back!" cried Manaia fiercely, as he changed seats with me, and
giving me the steering paddle, he took up the rifle and loaded it.

"Beware, old man!" shouted Manka, "'tis a dog that bites!"

But Tamavili was too hot with anger to take heed, and shouted to his men
to go on, and then Manaia took aim and fired, and two men went down.

"Ho, ho!" and Manka's voice again mocked, "did I not say 'twas a dog
that bit?"

There was great commotion in the _taumualua_ for a moment or two, but
_Tamavili_ shouted to his men to go on; he would have ordered some of
them to cease paddling and try and shoot Manaia, but feared to hurt
or perhaps kill me, and that would have meant war between Tufa and
Mulifanua.

"Alo, alo foe!"{*} he cried, standing up on the stem and brandishing
his death-knife at Manaia. "I shall give thy head to the children of the
village for a football ere the sun is in mid-heaven."

* "Paddle, paddle hard!"

That was a foolish boast, for once more Manaia knelt and shot, and I
turned my head and saw the blood spurt from Tamavili's naked chest as he
fell down without a sound among the paddlers and a loud cry of anger
and sorrow burst from his men. But in a moment a young sub-chief of Tufa
named _Lau Aula_ (the Golden-haired) took command and shouted to the crew
to press on, and leaping to the bow, he began firing at us with a short
gun (revolver) and one of the bul