These things required activity, and men and women were accordingly busy preparing for war. For the warriors were not confined to men. There were amazons before there were belles. Woman’s equality in public affairs was recognized before her inferiority, and equal rights were as yet the law of the race. Instead of leaving the women behind to protect their homes, they concluded to leave the old and the children behind, while the able-bodied of both sexes were all to go to the field. Oko, the stingy fellow just mentioned, proposed to kill off the non-combatants, as they would eat all the cocoanuts before the warriors should return, and perhaps not let the latter again have possession of their homes. “You greedy ape,” replied one to this suggestion, “you have not yourself gathered all the fruit you now have; you took some from others’ dens. I saw in your hole a wedge which I made for myself, and a marrow bone sharpened by a woman. You would now like to kill them lest they get back what you stole from them.” At this the avaricious ape, Oko, threw a cocoanut shell at the speaker, but took care that it was an empty one, for he was so economical, since he had begun the collection of nuts, that he never wasted anything. The other threw back a filled cocoanut at him, and knocked him down. His generosity in using a whole nut served him a good turn, for liberality is necessary in war, where one may be too stingy even to fight, and lose a battle because he begrudges the price of the weapon. Oko picked up the cocoanut, and—kept it. The Ammi now expected a desperate struggle between the two men; but, one being satisfied with his victory and the other with his gain, they parted, one going off with an air of triumph, and the other with a cocoanut. Other disputes arose over various details in the conduct of the war, but none broke out into violence. “Whose girl will Sosee be if we get her back?” asked one. “Mine!” replied Koree, defiantly. “Are we all to fight, and only one to get the advantage of it?” asked another. “You must fight,” retorted Koree, “or you will lose all you have. The restoration of my girl means the protection of yours.” “If I capture her,” replied a third, “neither Koree nor any one else will get her. A girl, like a cocoanut, belongs to whomsoever gets her.” “Whoever gets her,” replied Koree, “will get a broken head if he does not restore her to me.” It was now feared that this altercation would lead to a civil war before the foreign war should commence; when the thoughts of the company were turned by the suggestion of Oko, the stingy fellow mentioned, that the Lali had doubtless acquired some possessions, so that they would all return laden with the spoils of war. “If it were not so,” he added, “I would not fight at all.” “Perhaps,” suggested one of the young men, “there are also some pretty apes among them, so that instead of one girl we may bring back many—enough for all.”