"Lucky that the tidal wave did not get over the cliff," I said.
"If it had the people here would have all been drowned out. I
wonder where they have gone?"

As I spoke Bastin pointed to the edge of the bush some hundreds
of yards away, where we perceived brown figures slipping about
among the trees. I suggested that we should go back to the mouth
of our path, so as to have a line of retreat open in case of
necessity, and await events. So we did and there stood still. By
degrees the brown figures emerged on to the plain to the number
of some hundreds, and we saw that they were both male and female.
The women were clothed in nothing except flowers and a little
girdle; the men were all armed with wooden weapons and also wore
a girdle but no flowers. The children, of whom there were many,
were quite naked.

Among these people we observed a tall person clothed in what
seemed to be a magnificent feather cloak, and, walking around and
about him, a number of grotesque forms adorned with hideous masks
and basket-like head-dresses that were surmounted by plumes.

"The king or chief and his priests or medicine-men! This is
splendid," said Bickley triumphantly.

Bastin also contemplated them with enthusiasm as raw material
upon which he hoped to get to work.

By degrees and very cautiously they approached us. To our joy,
we perceived that behind them walked several young women who bore