ugly mug, but I thought
better of it.

All this time, and all the time I was following home, I kept repeating
that native word, which I remembered by "Polly, put the kettle on and
make us all some tea," tea-a-pollo.

"Uma," says I, when I got back, "what does _Tiapolo_ mean?"

"Devil," says she.

"I thought _aitu_ was the word for that," I said.

"_Aitu_ 'nother kind of devil," said she; "stop bush, eat Kanaka.
Tiapolo big chief devil, stop home; all-e-same Christian devil."

"Well then," said I, "I'm no farther forward. How can Case be Tiapolo?"

"No all-e-same," said she. "Ese belong Tiapolo; Tiapolo too much like;
Ese all-e-same his son. Suppose Ese he wish something, Tiapolo he make
him."

"That's mighty convenient for Ese," says I. "And what kind of things
does he make for him?"

Well, out came a rigmarole of all sorts of stories, many of which (like
the dollar he took from Mr. Tarleton's head) were plain enough to me,
but others I could make nothing of; and the thing that most surprised
the Kanakas was what surprised me least--namely, that he would go in the
desert among all the _aitus_. Some of the boldest, however, had
accompanied him, and had heard him speak with the dead and give them
orders, and, safe in his protection, had returned unscathed. Some said
he had a church there, where he worshipped Tiapolo, and Tiapolo appeared
to him; others swore that there was no sorcery at all, that he performed
his miracles by the power of prayer, and the church was no church, but a
prison, in which he had confined a dangerous _aitu_. Namu had been in
the bush with him once, and returned glorifying God for these wonders.
Altogether, I began to have a glimmer of the man's position, and the
means by which he had acquired it, and, though I saw he was a tough nut
to crack, I was noways cast down.

"Very well," said I, "I'll have a look at Master Case's place of worship
myself, and we'll see about the glorifying."

At this Uma fell in a terrible taking; if I went in the high bush I
should never return; none could go there but by the protection of
Tiapolo.

"I'll chance it on God's," said I. "I'm a good sort of fellow, Uma, as
fellows go, and I guess God'll con me through."

She was silent for a while. "I think," said she, mighty solemn--and
then, presently--"Victoreea, he big chief?"

"You bet!" said I.

"He like you too much?" she asked again.

I told her, with a grin, I believed the old lady was rather p