"Having emerged from the cave in the vicinity of the last village another flight was necessary, and I turned to the south, reaching a large stream in my wanderings, and, in order to avoid capture, swam it in the night. I still had the bows and a dozen arrows, together with a crude hatchet, which was taken from the warrior.
"The flight was continued to the south, and thus I lived from day to day for over three months, occasionally seeing the various tribes. Then for a period of two months more I was hunted over the entire southern portion of the island, and finally driven into the mountain. Between six and seven months after the shipwreck, in a moment of carelessness, I was taken by a tribe in the south, and held in confinement for over a month, when I was to be offered up as a sacrifice.
"On the day appointed there was a terrible uproar in camp, and I could see that a neighboring tribe had attacked, and escaped, only to be captured by the successful invaders. This was the tribe that Osaga, here, was a member of. Again escaping I secured one of their spears and a bow with some arrows, and fought my first captors with such determination that Osaga's people became my friends and I was given limited liberty, and began to learn the language.
"Before long the two most powerful tribes united and attacked us, and defeated Osaga's people, and I escaped to the mountains. This was fully eleven or twelve months after being cast ashore, and on the last day they were in sight I can remember going down a steep precipice. The only recollection of my former self came day before yesterday when I awoke from a refreshing sleep."
CHAPTER XV
CHIEF AND THE POISON PLANT
John was visibly exhausted from the effort he had made, and soon passed off into a quiet sleep. During the evening the Professor suggested that they might retire to the shop, so that he would not be disturbed, but John insisted that it was so good to hear their voices again, and would like to have them all present.
Harry and George kept them interested a great portion of the time with stories of their adventures. They told about the bear fight for the possession of the honey; the shooting of the wild animals in South Forest, the making of the flag, the capture of the yaks, the flagpole incident, the fight between the bulls, and the amusing affair connected with the removal of the yaks to their new home.
This latter occurrence is what amused John the most, and suggested that probably if they had adopted some of the hitches which sailors used the yaks could have been controlled more easily. This interested George.