drum or tom-tom, beaten
in a sort of recurrent tune, was heard toward the hills; and at its very
first sound both the Shadows, flinging themselves upon their faces with
every sign of terror, endeavored to hide themselves under the native mats
with which the bare little hut was roughly carpeted.

"What's the matter?" Felix cried, in English, to Mali; for Muriel had
already explained to him how the girl had picked up some knowledge of our
tongue in Queensland.

Mali trembled in every limb, so that she could hardly speak.
"Tu-Kila-Kila come," she answered, all breathless. "No blackfellow look
at him. Burn blackfellow up. You and Missy Korong. All right for you. Go
out to meet him!"

"Tu-Kila-Kila is coming," the young man-Shadow said, in Polynesian,
almost in the same breath, and no less tremulously. "We dare not look
upon his face lest he burn us to ashes. He is a very great Taboo. His
face is fire. But you two are gods. Step forth to receive him."

Felix took Muriel's hand in his, somewhat trembling himself, and led her
forth on to the open space in front of the huts to meet the man-god. She
followed him like a child. She was woman enough for that. She had
implicit trust in him.

As they emerged, a strange procession met their eyes unawares, coming
down the zig-zag path that led from the hills to the shore of the lagoon,
where their huts were situated. At its head marched two men--tall,
straight, and supple--wearing huge feather masks over their faces, and
beating tom-toms, decorated with long strings of shiny cowries. After
them, in order, came a sort of hollow square of chiefs or warriors,
surrounding with fan-palms a central object all shrouded from the view
with the utmost precaution. This central object was covered with a huge
regal umbrella, from whose edge hung rows of small nautilus and other
shells, so as to form a kind of screen, like the Japanese portieres now
so common in English doorways. Two supporters held it up, one on either
side, in long cloaks of feathers. Under the umbrella, a man seemed to
move; and as he approached, the natives, to right and left, fled
precipitately to their huts, snatching up their naked little ones from
the ground as they went, and crying aloud, "Taboo, Taboo! He comes! he
comes. Tu-Kila-Kila! Tu-Kila-Kila!"

The procession wound slowly on, unheeding these common creatures, till it
reached the huts. Then the chiefs who formed the hollow square fell back
one by one, and the