When he was ready we slipped in and took our seats, Tommy jumping in after us, and pushed the canoe, now very heavily laden, out into the lake.
Here, at a distance of about forty paces, which we judged to be beyond wooden spear-throw, we rested upon our paddles to see what would happen.
All the crowd of islanders had rushed to the lake edge where they stood staring at us stupidly.

Bastin, thinking the occasion opportune, lifted the hideous head of the idol which he had carefully washed, and began to preach on the downfall of "the god of the Grove." This action of his appeared to awake memories or forebodings in the minds of his congregation.

Perhaps some ancient prophecy was concerned--I do not know.

At any rate, one of the priests shouted something, whereon everybody began to talk at once.

Then, stooping down, they threw water from the lake over themselves and rubbed its sand and mud into their hair, all the while making genuflexions toward the mountain in the middle, after which they turned and departed.
"Don't you think we had better go back ?" asked Bastin.