. No man may see him except his own
Shadow, the Little Cockatoo, who brings him his food and drink. Do you
see that hawk's head, stuck upon the post by the door at the side. That
is his Special Taboo. He keeps it for this month. Even gods must respect
that sign, for a reason which it would be very bad medicine to mention.
While the Month of Birds lasts, no man may look upon the king or hear
him. If they did, they would die, and the carrion birds would eat them.
Come away. This is dangerous."

Scarcely were the words well out of his mouth when from the recesses of
the hut a rollicking French voice was heard, trilling out merrily:

"Quand on con-spi-re,
Quand, sans frayeur--"

Without waiting for more, the Shadow seized Felix's arm in an agony of
terror. "Come away!" he cried, hurriedly, "come away! What will become
of us? This is horrible, horrible! We have broken taboo. We have heard
the god's voice. The sky will fall on us. If his Shadow were to find it
out and tell my people, my people would tear us limb from limb. Quick,
quick! Hide away! Let us run fast through the forest before any man
discover it."

The Shadow's voice rang deep with alarm. Felix felt he dare not trifle
with this superstition. Profound as was his curiosity about the
mysterious Frenchman, he was compelled to bottle up his eagerness and
anxiety for the moment, and patiently wait till the Month of Birds had
run its course, and taken its inconvenient taboo along with it. These
limitations were terrible. Yet he counted much upon the information the
Frenchman could give him. The man had been some time on the island, it
was clear, and doubtless he understood its ways thoroughly; he might
cast some light at last upon the Korong mystery.

So he went back through the woods with a heart somewhat lighter.

Not far from their own huts he met Muriel and Mali.

As they walked home together, Felix told his companion in a very few
words the strange discovery about the Frenchman, and the impenetrable
taboo by which he was at present surrounded. Muriel drew a deep sigh.
"Oh, Felix," she said--for they were naturally by this time very much at
home with one another, "did you ever know anything so dreadful as the
mystery of these taboos? It seems as if we should never get really to the
bottom of them. Mali's always springing some new one upon me. I don't
believe we shall ever be able to leave the island--we're so hedged round
with taboos. Even if we were to s