Aunt Jannet Harvey came hurrying round the corner to see what they were at, and Cathie caught sight of her and sent her hurrying back surprised at his brusqueness. For this was one of the things that may be told but is better not seen. Ha'o had taken no part in these doings. He had no desire for human flesh, but there was a doubtful look on his face, as though he thought the proceedings wasteful and possibly to be regretted later on. The brown men stood in a clump at a distance and watched sullenly all that was done. When the pile died down Blair went over to the chief. "Ha'o," he said, "go and speak to your people. Tell them that things are as they were, and that flesh they shall not eat." "They will starve." "No, they will not starve. We will find them food." Ha'o looked at him doubtfully, but not without expectation. The white men were so wonderful, that it was difficult to say what they could or could not do, and Kenni never lied. Nevertheless, "Where, Kenni?" he asked. "We shall not starve," said Blair emphatically. The brown man looked searchingly at him for a full minute, and then turned and strode away towards the others. CHAPTER XXXII FROM THE BEGINNING "Our brown folk have lost their heads for the time being," said Blair to his wife, as they all stood round the huts. "They have gone off to the hills. It is not very surprising. They will come back all right in time. Captain Cathie, I want you to make a raft and take the ladies and the sick--in fact, all but Gregor and Irvine--to the Happy Valley for a time, till things straighten out a bit. You will, I think, find food there, and the natives won't intrude on you." "And you, Kenneth?" said Jean anxiously. "I am going across to the other side of the island with Ha'o, to see how they fared there. If food is plentiful we will bring some back here for the women and children. They may have been washed out also. If so we must get food from the Valley. We will drop in on you from the upper end, but it is too rough a road for you and the sick men. Will you join us, Captain Pym, or will you go and take care of the ladies?" "Captain Cathie is quite equal to that, I am sure, Mr. Blair. With your permission I will join you." "Can you induce Nai to go with the ladies, Ha'o?" "She will go," said Ha'o tersely. He was in a gloomy frame of mind through all these strange happenings and the defection of his people. "Then the sooner we get to it the better." And under Cathie's directions they all set to work on a raft. Timber and rope were not wanting. "Take all you can, and especially what we can use for boat-building later on," said Blair. "We shall have to get out of our hole ourselves, and that, I think, is the way out."