"We must divide," said Holman. "I'll take Kaipi and go north, you take
Maru and go in the opposite direction. If you find the trail, camp near
it and send Maru on the run back to us. I'll do the same if I strike the
spoor of the big devil."
It was about two o'clock, as nearly as we could judge, when we
separated. We agreed to keep as close as possible to the rocky wall so
that a messenger from one would have less difficulty in locating the
other, and Maru and I found, before we had gone a hundred yards, that
the nearer we could get to the cliff the quicker we could get along. The
lianas found it difficult to get a grip upon the rocks, and we could
worm our way without much trouble.
We had travelled about three quarters of a mile when the native dropped
upon his knees and I immediately followed his example. The ordinary
Polynesian is not to be compared with the Australian black fellow or the
American Indian in his knowledge of the forest, but Maru was an
exception. His sight and hearing were abnormally keen, and he examined
the grass carefully.
"One man go by here pretty short time ago," he whispered.
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