The feast is lake fish and some sort of a vegetable which the natives have gathered from around here somewhere. It is similar to lettuce except that it doesn't taste like lettuce. There is no bread but we don't miss it for there is plenty of what we have.
Now the feast is over. The white chieftain has indicated that we are to go with him and his people. He spoke to the black chieftain and this leader with his tribesmen have started back through the brush-forest, while we are accompanying the white chieftain and going in the opposite direction, up the valley. We have walked a good five miles, yet we don't feel tired, even though we have lost much sleep. It seems that the food and the jackets are doing their work.
Chapter IV
HONORED
We have reached the village on the dark side that we had seen from the air, the one belonging to the white tribe. We are being taken to the chieftain's own home which is a very large building, three stories high.
But as we entered the village everybody there turned out; there must have been around three thousand people. The messengers apparently had alerted the people about us and we really are being given a royal welcome. They have rolled out on four large wheels a sort of a large platform, beautifully decorated. The chieftain is going up onto the platform and indicating that we are to follow him.
Everyone in this vast throng of people is quiet as their leader stands before them. He is addressing them in their native tongue which we do not understand, but from what we can get out of it, it seems as though he is telling them about the flight we had taken him on and what he had just witnessed. At the conclusion of his speech they all cheered.
We knew that he was talking about the flight, for he was pointing with his hands in the directions over which we have flown. He no doubt told them also about the big city farther up, for we saw the amazement which the people took on in expression when they were told what could easily have been astounding information about other inhabitants farther up the valley about whom they knew nothing.
They seem to be quiet people, thinkers, quick in action proving their minds are very active. We see some beautiful children and women among them. All these people are well built in stature and they seem to respect one another very highly.
The homes of these Moonalites are exceptionally neat and the people all seem to be of an equality, that is possessing about the same amount of wealth, whatever the wealth might be. In other words, they are as one big family and each home seems to have plenty of everything alike. They all have gems and minerals of value as decorations for their homes. The natives in this village are very artistic, for there is much of what could be called fine art in their homes, and what clothing they have seems to be the best, with no distinction among any of them except the leader.