"I wonder at your impudence, speaking to persons of our quality!"
cried the mare.
The saddle-horse went away by himself. "I was right," said he,
"they are great chiefs."
XV - THE TADPOLE AND THE FROG.
"BE ashamed of yourself," said the frog.
"When I was a tadpole, I had no tail."
"Just what I thought!" said the tadpole.
"You never were a tadpole."
XVI. - SOMETHING IN IT.
THE natives told him many tales. In particular, they warned him of
the house of yellow reeds tied with black sinnet, how any one who
touched it became instantly the prey of Akaanga, and was handed on
to him by Miru the ruddy, and hocussed with the kava of the dead,
and baked in the ovens and eaten by the eaters of the dead.
"There is nothing in it," said the missionary.
There was a bay upon that island, a very fair bay to look upon;
but, by the native saying, it was death to bathe there. "There is
nothing in that," said the missionary; and he came to the bay, and
went swimming. Presently an eddy took him and bore him towards the
reef. "Oho!" thought the missionary, "it seems there is something
in it after all." And he swam the harder, but the eddy carried him
away. "I do not care about this eddy," said the missionary; and
even as he said it, he was aware of a house raised on piles above
the sea; it was built of yellow reeds, one reed joined with
another, and the whole bound with black sinnet; a ladder led to the
door, and all about the house hung calabashes.
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