thrust
tragedy, is almost moved to tears of disappointment at the exhibition of a
genteel comedy.
    I could not avoid thinking that I had fallen in with a greatly traduced
people, and I moralised not a little upon the disadvantage of having a bad name,
which in this instance had given a tribe of savages, who were as pacific as so
many lambkins, the reputation of a confederacy of giant-killers.
    But subsequent events proved that I had been a little too premature in
coming to this conclusion. One day, about noon, happening to be at the Ti, I had
lain down on the mats with several of the chiefs, and had gradually sunk into a
most luxurious siesta, when I was awakened by a tremendous outcry, and starting
up, beheld the natives seizing their spears and hurrying out, while the most
puissant of the chiefs, grasping the six muskets which were ranged against the
bamboos, followed after, and soon disappeared in the groves. These movements
were accompanied by wild shouts, in which Happar, Happar, greatly predominated.
The islanders were now to be seen running past the Ti, and striking across the
valley to the Happar side. Presently I heard the sharp report of a musket from
the adjoining hills, and then a burst of voices in the same direction. At this
the women, who had congregated in the groves, set up the most violent clamours,
as they invariably do here as elsewhere on every occasion of excitement and
alarm, with a view of tranquillising their own minds and disturbing other
people. On this particular occasion they made such an outrageous noise, and
continued it with such perseverance, that for a while, had entire volleys of
musketry been fired off in the neighbouring mountains, I should not have been
able to have heard them.
    When this female commotion had a little subsided, I listened eagerly for
further information. At last bang went another shot, and then a second volley of
yells from the hills. Again all was quiet, and continued so for such a length of
time that I began to think the contending armies had agreed upon a suspension of
hostilities; when pop went a third gun, followed as before with a yell. After
this, for nearly two hours nothing occurred worthy of comment, save some
straggling shouts from the hill-side, sounding like the halloos of a parcel of
truant boys who had lost themselves in the woods.
    During this interval I had remained standing on the piazza of the Ti, which
directly fronted the Happar mountain, and with no one near me but Kory-Kory and
the old superannuated savages I have
