ice. "These foreign gods, are they not
strangers from the sun? They have brought the divine seeds of fire,
growing in a shining box that reflects the sunlight. They need no
rubbing-sticks and no drill to kindle fresh flame. They touch the seed
on the box, and, lo, like a miracle, fire bursts forth from the wood
spontaneous. Tu-Kila-Kila comes, to behold this miracle."

The warriors hung back with doubtful eyes for a moment. Then they spoke
with one accord, "Tu-Kila-Kila shall decide. Tu-Kila-Kila! Tu-Kila-Kila!
If the great god says the Taboo holds good, we will not hurt or offend
the strangers. But if the great god says the Taboo is broken, and we are
all without sin--then, Korong! Korong! we will kill them! We will eat
them!"

As the two parties thus stood glaring at one another, across that narrow
imaginary wall, another cry went up to heaven at the distant sound of a
peculiar tom-tom. "Tu-Kila-Kila comes!" they shouted. "Our great god
approaches! Women, begone! Men, hide your eyes! Fly, fly from the
brightness of his face, which is as the sun in glory! Tu-Kila-Kila comes!
Fly far, all profane ones!"

And in a moment the women had disappeared into space, and the men lay
flat on the moist ground with low groans of surprise, and hid their faces
in their hands in abject terror.

CHAPTER XIII.

AS BETWEEN GODS.

Tu-Kila-Kila came up in his grandest panoply. The great umbrella, with
the hanging cords, rose high over his head; the King of Fire and the King
of Water, in their robes of state, marched slowly by his side; a whole
group of slaves and temple attendants, clapping hands in unison, followed
obedient at his sacred heels. But as soon as he reached the open space in
front of the huts and began to speak, Felix could easily see, in spite of
his own agitation and the excitement of the moment, that the implacable
god himself was profoundly frightened. Last night's storm had, indeed,
been terrible; but Tu-Kila-Kila mentally coupled it with Felix's attitude
toward himself at their last interview, and really believed in his own
heart he had met, after all, with a stronger god, more powerful than
himself, who could make the clouds burst forth in fire and the earth
tremble. The savage swaggered a good deal, to be sure, as is often the
fashion with savages when frightened; but Felix could see between the
lines, that he swaggered only on the familiar principle of whistling to
keep your courage up, and that in his