t man from the pompous little
tapop of the Queres. The latter would at once have called the council
and done everything to surround the event and his own person with as
much noise as possible. Not so the tuyo of the Puye. He only said, "I
will go with you," and went to the room of Teanyi's wife to see Shotaye
and investigate for himself.

The gesticulations began again, and the woman used every effort to make
herself understood. The governor did his best to understand her, but no
progress was made toward comprehension. She even followed Cayamo's
precedent in drawing a line on the floor from north to south,
designating the southern end as Tupoge, the northern end as Puye, for
thus much she had kept in memory. Then she pointed out on that line the
spot where Topanashka had been killed, and said, "Uan save," and made
the gesture-sign for killing. Lastly she tried to convey the idea that
the Queres were in arms against the Tehuas.

The governor displayed much coolness, and paid close attention during
this strange and almost comic interview. He thought he understood that a
man from the Rito, probably called Topanashka, had been murdered by the
Dinnes on the trail leading to the Puye from the south. He also thought
that the Queres were on the war-path to avenge the murder. In what
manner this was connected with the excited state of the woman he could
not clearly see, unless she was perhaps the widow of the murdered man.
In that event she might have become insane from fright and despair! Her
violent gesticulations and the expression of passion and agitation on
her features confirmed his suspicion that Shotaye was distracted.

A growing coldness in his manner at last showed the woman what sort of
an impression she had been creating, and she felt very uneasy. Not that
her life became endangered thereby; on the contrary, the Indian is very
considerate and charitable toward such unfortunates. But from the moment
that the Tehuas were convinced of her insanity they would attach no
longer any importance to her warnings, and a precious lapse of time that
should be improved for immediate preparations for defence was
irretrievably lost. The Queres might be allowed to approach, and their
onslaught would find the Tehuas utterly unprepared. If only Cayamo had
been present! But he dared not approach a woman now, for he was at work
purifying himself and fasting, in anticipation of the great day when the
scalp which he had taken would be fe