utation of a confederacy of
giant-killers.
But subsequent events proved that I had been a little too premature in
coming to this conclusion. One, day about noon, happening to be at the
Ti, I had lain down on the mats with several of the chiefs, and had
gradually sunk into a most luxurious siesta, when I was awakened by
a tremendous outcry, and starting up beheld the natives seizing their
spears and hurrying out, while the most puissant of the chiefs, grasping
the six muskets which were ranged against the bamboos, followed after,
and soon disappeared in the groves. These movements were accompanied
by wild shouts, in which 'Happar, Happar,' greatly predominated. The
islanders were now seen running past the Ti, and striking across the
valley to the Happar side. Presently I heard the sharp report of a
musket from the adjoining hills, and then a burst of voices in the same
direction. At this the women who had congregated in the groves, set up
the most violent clamours, as they invariably do here as elsewhere on
every occasion of excitement and alarm, with a view of tranquillizing
their own minds and disturbing other people. On this particular
occasion they made such an outrageous noise, and continued it with such
perseverance, that for awhile, had entire volleys of musketry been fired
off in the neighbouring mountains, I should not have been able to have
heard them.
When this female commotion had a little subsided I listened eagerly for
further information. At last bang went another shot, and then a second
volley of yells from the hills. Again all was quiet, and continued so
for such a length of time that I began to think the contending armies
had agreed upon a suspension of hostilities; when pop went a third gun,
followed as before with a yell. After this, for nearly two hours
nothing occurred worthy of comment, save some straggling shouts from the
hillside, sounding like the halloos of a parcel of truant boys who had
lost themselves in the woods.
During this interval I had remained standing on the piazza of the 'Ti,'
which directly fronted the Happar mountain, and with no one near me
but Kory-Kory and the old superannuated savages I have described. These
latter never stirred from their mats, and seemed altogether unconscious
that anything unusual was going on.
As for Kory-Kory, he appeared to think that we were in the midst of
great events, and sought most zealously to impress me with a due sense
of their importan
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