t with it, and danced about merrily, exclaiming,--

"Cuindae, Cayamo, cuindae, Shotaye, cuinda!" He counted the number eight
several times, and then suddenly bent down. One of his sandals had
become loose.

These sandals consisted, as mentioned before, of wooden hoops covered by
strips of rabbit-skin and tied to the naked foot with bands of the same
material. The wearer stood on them as on wheels lying flat on the
ground; he was able to walk and even to run at a moderate speed, and the
prints which he made, being circular, gave a pursuing enemy no clew to
the direction of his going or coming.

While the man was stooping and fastening the leather thongs, Shotaye
scanned his appearance thoroughly. She perceived on his back, aside from
a bow and the usual quiver filled with war-arrows, a shield. The
painting on that shield she examined with particular care. The target
was painted white, with a black rim; and in the centre was a green
crescent, with four red crosses. Such figures have no heraldic
signification; they are but the creation of fancy or taste, and recall
the designs of the ancient Teutons which Tacitus describes, "Scuta
tantum lectissimis coloribus distinguunt."

Shotaye evidently took an interest in the stranger. He, on the other
hand, looked up to her from time to time with a terrific grin that was
intended for a sweet smile. As often as he turned his face toward her
she sought to decipher his real features, which the war-paint rendered
utterly unrecognizable.

At last the sandal was fastened again, and the Tehua stood erect. He
waved his hand to the west and north, repeated the words, "Cayamo,
cuinda," and placed a finger on his lips. She nodded, raised eight
fingers, softly uttered "raua, raua, Shotaye," and pointed to the north
also. Thereupon he moved away stealthily; but before disappearing in the
timber, he turned around once more and waved his hand northward. The
woman replied with affirmative nods, and after his form had disappeared
she also turned to go. Her eyes sparkled; a gleam of intense
satisfaction illumined her features, as with head erect and heedless of
the plants she had come to gather, she penetrated deeper into the
forest. She now went due east, in a direction opposite to the one the
Tehua had taken.

This had been a very remarkable meeting indeed. More than ever, Shotaye
believed that she was invulnerable. The Queres of the Rito and the
Tehuas, living north of them on the other sid