gave utterance to some hasty witticism, which was sure to be followed by
peals of laughter. To the females, as well as to the men, he addressed his
discourse. Heaven only knows what he said to them, but he caused smiles
and blushes to mantle their ingenuous faces. I am, indeed, very much
inclined to believe that Marnoo, with his handsome person and captivating
manners, was a sad deceiver among the simple maidens of the island.

During all this time, he had never for one moment deigned to regard me. He
appeared, indeed, to be altogether unconscious of my presence. I was
utterly at a loss how to account for this extraordinary conduct, I easily
perceived that he was a man of no little consequence among the islanders;
that he possessed uncommon talents; and was gifted with a higher degree of
knowledge than the inmates of the valley. For these reasons, I therefore
greatly feared lest, having, from some cause or other, unfriendly feelings
towards me, he might exert his powerful influence to do me mischief.

It seemed evident that he was not a permanent resident of the vale, and
yet, whence could he have come? On all sides the Typees were girt in by
hostile tribes, and how could he possibly, if belonging to any of these,
be received with so much cordiality?

The personal appearance of the enigmatical stranger suggested additional
perplexities. The face, free from tattooing, and the unshaven crown, were
peculiarities I had never before remarked in any part of the island, and I
had always heard that the contrary were considered the indispensable
distinctions of a Marquesan warrior. Altogether the matter was perfectly
incomprehensible to me, and I awaited its solution with no small degree of
anxiety.

At length, from certain indications, I suspected that he was making me the
subject of his remarks, although he appeared cautiously to avoid either
pronouncing my name, or looking in the direction where I lay. All at once
he rose from the mats where he had been reclining, and, still conversing,
moved towards me, his eye purposely evading mine, and seated himself
within less than a yard of me. I had hardly recovered from my surprise,
when he suddenly turned round, and with a most benignant countenance,
extended his right hand gracefully towards me. Of course I accepted the
courteous challenge, and, as soon as our palms met, he bent towards me,
and murmured in musical accents,--"How you do? How long have you been in
this bay? You lik