pecially about the upper part of the face and the eyes, so
the Stranger-man--always a pure Tewara--smiled politely and handed
Teshumai the birch-bark. He had run hard, so that he panted, and his
legs were scratched with brambles, but he still tried to be polite.

As soon as Teshumai saw the picture she screamed like anything and flew
at the Stranger-man. The other Neolithic ladies at once knocked him down
and sat on him in a long line of six, while Teshumai pulled his hair.
'It's as plain as the nose on this Stranger-man's face,' she said. 'He
has stuck my Tegumai all full of spears, and frightened poor Taffy so
that her hair stands all on end; and not content with that, he brings me
a horrid picture of how it was done. Look!' She showed the picture to
all the Neolithic ladies sitting patiently on the Stranger-man. 'Here is
my Tegumai with his arm broken; here is a spear sticking into his back;
here is a man with a spear ready to throw; here is another man throwing
a spear from a Cave, and here are a whole pack of people' (they were
Taffy's beavers really, but they did look rather like people) 'coming up
behind Tegumai. Isn't it shocking!'

'Most shocking!' said the Neolithic ladies, and they filled the
Stranger-man's hair with mud (at which he was surprised), and they beat
upon the Reverberating Tribal Drums, and called together all the chiefs
of the Tribe of Tegumai, with their Hetmans and Dolmans, all Neguses,
Woons, and Akhoonds of the organisation, in addition to the Warlocks,
Angekoks, Juju-men, Bonzes, and the rest, who decided that before they
chopped the Stranger-man's head off he should instantly lead them down
to the river and show them where he had hidden poor Taffy.

By this time the Stranger-man (in spite of being a Tewara) was really
annoyed. They had filled his hair quite solid with mud; they had rolled
him up and down on knobby pebbles; they had sat upon him in a long line
of six; they had thumped him and bumped him till he could hardly
breathe; and though he did not understand their language, he was almost
sure that the names the Neolithic ladies called him were not ladylike.
However, he said nothing till all the Tribe of Tegumai were assembled,
and then he led them back to the bank of the Wagai river, and there they
found Taffy making daisy-chains, and Tegumai carefully spearing small
carp with his mended spear.

'Well, you _have_ been quick!' said Taffy. 'But why did you bring so
many people? Dadd