med Terano, whose death would be considered a
general benefit, as he was a notorious and inveterate thief and
drunkard, who, when not stupefied with ava, was constantly engaged in
desperate broils, or wanton depredations upon the property of his
neighbours. It seemed, however, that the old man had taken the alarm
and fled; several of Mowno's followers were now in pursuit of him, and
unless they should succeed in taking him before morning, another person
would have to be designated, as it was required to furnish the victims
at the great marae, by noon of the following day.

"I sickened with disgust, as I listened to details like these. Never
before had I so fully realised the darkness and the horrors of
heathenism--all the more striking in the present instance, because of
the many pleasing and amiable natural qualities of the people who groped
amid much darkness, and were a prey to such horrors.

"Mowno also recommended us to postpone any attempt at flight until a
late hour of the night. He said that he had seen a number of men
lurking in the woods near the stream, and that the priest and others had
remained in the grove after he had left, probably with the intention of
joining them in watching the house.

"Olla now went out into the garden, where she walked about looking up
among the branches of the tree; and calling out, `Lai-evi!' as if in
search of her tame wood-pigeon. After going round the garden, she
passed out of the gate, and wandered away in the direction of the brook,
still looking among the trees, and repeating at intervals her call of
`Lai-evi!'

"By-and-bye she returned, and though without her little favourite, she
had accomplished her real object, and ascertained the number and
position of the spies. She had seen seven of them skulking in the wood
along the brook, and watching the house. They seemed anxious to avoid
observation, and she could not, without awaking suspicion, get more than
transient glimpses of them, so that possibly there might be others whom
she had not seen.

"Rokoa questioned her as to the space along the bank of the stream
occupied by these men, and the distance from one another at which they
were stationed. Then after a moment's reflection he turned to Mowno,
and asked whether he was confident of being able to protect us, while in
his house; to which the latter replied with much earnestness that he
both could and would do so.

"`Wait here, then,' said Rokoa, addressing Ba