." With these words, enforced by a vehemence of
gesture I cannot describe, Marnoo started from my side, and immediately
engaged in conversation with some of the chiefs who had entered the house.

It would have been idle for me to have attempted resuming the interview so
peremptorily terminated by Marnoo, who was evidently little disposed to
compromise his own safety by any rash endeavours to ensure mine. But the
plan he had suggested struck me as one which might possibly be
accomplished, and I resolved to act upon it as speedily as possible.

Accordingly, when he arose to depart, I accompanied him, with the natives,
outside of the house, with a view of carefully noting the path he would
take in leaving the valley. Just before leaping from the pi-pi, he clasped
my hand, and, looking significantly at me, exclaimed, "Now you see you do
what I tell you--ah! then you do good;--you no do so--ah! then you die." The
next moment he waved his spear in adieu to the islanders, and, following
the route that conducted to a defile in the mountains lying opposite the
Happar side, was soon out of sight.

A mode of escape was now presented to me; but how was I to avail myself of
it? I was continually surrounded by the savages; I could not stir from one
house to another without being attended by some of them; and even during
the hours devoted to slumber, the slightest movement which I made seemed
to attract the notice of those who shared the mats with me. In spite of
these obstacles, however, I determined forthwith to make the attempt. To
do so with any prospect of success, it was necessary that I should have at
least two hours' start before the islanders should discover my absence;
for with such facility was any alarm spread through the valley, and so
familiar, of course, were the inhabitants with the intricacies of the
groves, that I could not hope, lame and feeble as I was, and ignorant of
the route, to secure my escape unless I had this advantage. It was also by
night alone that I could hope to accomplish my object, and then only by
adopting the utmost precaution.

The entrance to Marheyo's habitation was through a low narrow opening in
its wicker-work front. This passage, for no conceivable reason that I
could devise, was always closed after the household had retired to rest,
by drawing a heavy slide across it, composed of a dozen or more bits of
wood, ingeniously fastened together by seizings of sinnate. When any of
the inmates ch