"I reckon we'll move ahead," he said at length. "You two cubs are to march in front of me; and if you try to kick up any bobbery, I'll put a stop to it by a blow over the head,—such as won't kill outright, but will give a good idea of what's to follow. Step out now, and don't dare to shout! It won't do you any good, and will cost a lot of trouble."
We obeyed; what else was there for us to do? My head was humming like a top from the effects of the blow he had already delivered, and I knew full well he would not hesitate to maltreat us in any way which came to his evil mind.
After we had marched straight ahead for half an hour over a trail which led first up and then down a stiff slope, we heard sounds of triumph and joyful songs from what appeared to be a large party three or four hundred yards to the left of us.
Benson stopped suddenly, listened an instant, and then a look of perplexity came over his face, the reason for which I could not so much as guess.
When the noise had died away in the distance, those who made it being apparently on their way to the bay, Benson ordered us forward once more; but he had lost his confident bearing, and seemed to be studying deeply over some vexing problem.
He continued in such mood until we arrived at what had evidently been at some time a flourishing village, but was now only a smoking ruin.
Phil and I glanced at each other in triumph. Now we understood why Benson was perplexed. He had recognized the shouts of triumph as coming from the Happars instead of the Typees, and began to believe his friends had lost the battle. Until that moment he was confident the Typees could vanquish any force sent against them, and that the fact had thus been disproved, probably worried him.
I was at a loss to understand whether this might work to our benefit or injury; but for the time being it pleased me that Benson was not getting along as swimmingly as he fancied when we first ran so unluckily upon him.
The Britisher stood facing the ruins for an instant as if at a loss to know what course to pursue, and then he bade us march ahead of him up a narrow path which led to the right through a dense thicket.
We travelled at a smart pace for fifteen or twenty minutes, and then were come to a dwelling, unoccupied, which Benson entered without hesitation and with evident relief of mind.