We had one enemy less upon the island. Not
counting the carriers, we reckoned that the active opposition comprised
Leith, Soma, the one-eyed white man, and either two or three of the
"tivo" dancers, and these made a formidable batch. The dancers were huge
natives, possessing all the characteristics of the Tongans, while Leith,
Soma, and the one-eyed white man possessed more than ordinary strength.
"We must try to find the path," whispered Holman. "This delay will give
Leith a chance to get to the hills."
But the finding of the path was no easy matter. So that we would be well
out of the sphere of the companions of the man who carried the
greenstone blade, we worked our way for about one hundred yards through
the leafy maze before attempting to search for it, and that search
proved a long and tiresome one. It is impossible to describe the network
of wanton vegetation through which we struggled during the hot
afternoon. Every kind of shrub and tree was woven into an ungodly tangle
by the crawling, leaping vines that shut out the sky and made it
impossible to see a person standing only a few feet away.
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