John
smiled.

"Muro has the exact tone now," said John.

"Yes," replied Uraso, "and the cry I gave was an answer, which Uraso
understands."

In a few minutes Muro appeared, but he was not smiling. His face was
grave, as he said: "We have come upon the terrible Konotos. I feared
that when I heard the first cry several hours ago."

"Have you been near them?" asked John.

"Near enough to know that there are quite a number, and what is more,
they are now engaged in their regular feast, and if they have any
captives, this is the time that they will be sacrificed," said Muro.

"Why do you think this is the time for that?" asked Harry.

"Because it was now nearing the _dark of the moon_, as you call it, and
that time is chosen because the Great Spirit, out of anger, is hiding
the light."

The boys now understood that this was a rite practiced by some of the
tribes on Wonder Island, during that season of the Moon's phase.

"Did you talk with them in that strange language?" asked Harry.

"No; but I tried to find out the key to the language they used."

"Is that their regular language?"

"Oh, no! That is simply the special language which they use on certain
occasions," answered Muro.

"The savages here, as everywhere, have a sort of code language, or a
species of wireless telegraphy, used by them only when in the presence
of enemies," commented John.

"Harry and I thought it might be the Alma Perdita, that we heard at the
cave near Cataract."

"No; but it shows the ingenuity of the savages, when I explain that
their most favored method is to assume the cry of some bird or animal,
and in so doing make it difficult for the enemy to distinguish the
assumed from the real."

"But on Wonder Island we had several methods of talking to each other,"
remarked Uraso. "For instance, we would perfectly imitate the cries of a
number of birds, and also of certain animals, and of the wood insects.
Thus, a nightingale would mean _watchfulness_; the chirrup of a cricket
would be the signal that the enemy was not dangerous, or that there were
not many of them; the cry of the Lost Soul bird would indicate that
there was great danger, and so on with the birds and animals that make
noises."

"But I have discovered another thing," remarked Muro.

"And what is that?" said John.

"The natives here are cannibals."

"That merely confirms my knowledge of the matter," said John.

The boys looked at John in amazement. How did John