wooden trays of food or fruit.

"That looks well," I said. "They would not make offerings
unless they were friendly."

"The food may be poisoned," remarked Bickley suspiciously.

The crowd advanced, we standing quite still looking as
dignified as we could, I as the tallest in the middle, with Tommy
sitting at my feet. When they were about five and twenty yards
away, however, that wretched little dog caught sight of the
masked priests. He growled and then rushed at them barking, his
long black ears flapping as he went.

The effect was instantaneous. One and all they turned and fled
precipitately, who evidently had never before seen a dog and
looked upon it as a deadly creature. Yes, even the tall chief and
his masked medicine-men fled like hares pursued by Tommy, who bit
one of them in the leg, evoking a terrific howl. I called him
back and took him into my arms. Seeing that he was safe for a
while the crowd reformed and once again advanced.

As they came we noted that they were a wonderfully handsome
people, tall and straight with regularly shaped features and
nothing of the negro about them. Some of the young women might
even be called beautiful, though those who were elderly had
become corpulent. The feather-clothed chief, however, was much
disfigured by a huge growth with a narrow stalk to it that hung
from his neck and rested on his shoulder.