Singing and drumming are heard once more; the dancers fall into line;
and when the chorus was shouting the second verse,--
"Na-ya, Ha-te Oyo-y[=a]-u[=a],
U[=a]-tir-anyi Tya-au-era-nyi,"--
and the jokers had dispersed, Say slowly retreated within the room,
cowered down by the hearth, a sharp stone-splinter in her hand and her
eyes fixed upon the door, watching lest anybody should appear. She
listened with throbbing heart to discover whether there was any
shuffling sound to betray the approach of one of the Koshare. She saw
nothing, and no sound was heard except the beats of the drum and the
monotonous rhythm,--
"Heiti-na, Heiti-na,
Nat-yu-o-o, Nat-yu-o-o, Ma-a-a-se-e-e-ua."
The woman began to dig. She dug with feverish haste. The dance lacked
interest for her; time and again had she witnessed it, and well knew the
figures now being performed. She made the hole as small as possible,
digging and digging, anxiously listening, eagerly looking up now and
then at the doorway, and starting timidly at the least sound.
At last her instrument struck a resisting though elastic object; it was
the feathers.
Cautiously she pulled, pulled them up until she had drawn them to the
top of the hole, then peered about her, intently listening.
Pages:
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213