in their
direction, and as his eyes met Sicto's, his triumph was complete. Under
Piang's steady gaze, the bully quailed and, dropping his eyes,
shambled off into the darkness.

SIXTH ADVENTURE

THE JUNGLE MENACE

Dato Kali Pandapatan had declared a three days' holiday in honor of
Piang's safe return from his long journey to the haunt of Ganassi,
the wonder man. That one so young had accomplished the difficult task
proved to the tribe conclusively that Piang was indeed the chosen of
Allah, the charm boy by divine right. Kali was glad of the opportunity
to plunge his people into gaieties, for a mysterious shadow had hovered
over the barrio for a week, and he hoped to dispel the effects of a
recent disaster by merriment and fiesta. In the night an infant had
disappeared from its hammock under the mango-tree and no trace of it
had ever been found. The mother, who had been sleeping on the ground
near her babe, told a strange story of being awakened by a suffocating
pressure on her chest; as she stretched out her hand in the dark,
she encountered a cold, clammy mass that moved under her touch. She
must have fainted, for when she was able to scream for assistance,
her baby was gone, and there were no tracks in the sand. The river
was searched, but the crocodile pickets were intact; no monster from
the river had broken through the barriers.

The ominous whisper, "Bal-Bal," passed from lip to lip. Only that
supernatural jinn could have whisked the infant from their midst;
only Bal-Bal, with his demon body, sailing through the air on
enormous wings, could have descended upon them so silently, so
stealthily. Fearfully the wise men kept watch for the return of
Bal-Bal, whose fateful visits were believed to come in pairs.

At first the news of the fiesta failed to rouse the people from the
lethargy into which they had sunk, but gradually their pleasure-loving
natures responded, and preparations were begun for the three days'
play.

"Goody-goody!" exclaimed Papita, the little slave girl, dancing about,
clapping her hands. "We are to have the macasla fiesta, Piang. Just
think, we are to go to the ocean to-morrow!" Piang's newly acquired
dignity would not permit him to respond to Papita's levity, but he
secretly rejoiced, too, over the prospects of fun and excitement at
the macasla.

Runners were sent into the jungle to procure the all-important
macasla herb, and that night the mixture was prepared. Macasla,
chilli-