"I cannot understand why no people are living here," remarked George.
"They have gone to the village to attend the sacred rites," responded Uraso.
They were now less than a mile from the village, which could be seen in the distance through the trees. Something unusual was taking place to their left, and more than a mile away. Uraso agreed to go in that direction, and gain the slight elevation, which might afford him an opportunity to discover the cause of the excitement.
There was considerable shouting, and then the beating of the drums, which they had not heard since the early morning. Uraso was gone not to exceed a half hour.
"They are having something unusual in that quar[p. 48]ter. A number of natives have just come in, and a hundred, or more, from the village met the visitors. I cannot account for the demonstration," observed one of the boys.
"It is quite likely," suggested John, "that some other tribe has come in to attend the ceremonies."
"I do not think so, because the visitors belong to the same people who live in the village."
John was determined to go on, and they proceeded, reaching the outlying portion of the village, just as the visitors, and those from the village were entering it from the other angle.
"They have a prisoner there," said Muro. "I am sure that man in the first group is being conducted to the village."
"Unquestionably, Muro is correct. It is plain that a party of the villagers have captured the man, and the excitement we heard was caused by that fact." And John began to speculate on the probability of the island containing more than the one tribe.