I took no notice, but merely asked for
food, then for my hammock, which I hung up in the old place, and
lying down I fell into a doze. Runi made his appearance at dusk.
I rose and greeted him, but he spoke no word and, until he went
to his hammock, sat in sullen silence, ignoring my presence.
On the following day the crisis came. We were once more gathered
in the room--all but Kua-ko and another of the men, who had not
yet returned from some expedition--and for the space of half an
hour not a word was spoken by anyone. Something was expected;
even the children were strangely still, and whenever one of the
pet birds strayed in at the open door, uttering a little
plaintive note, it was chased out again, but without a sound. At
length Runi straightened himself on his seat and fixed his eyes
on me; then cleared his throat and began a long harangue,
delivered in the loud, monotonous singsong which I knew so well
and which meant that the occasion was an important one. And as
is usual in such efforts, the same thought and expressions were
used again and again, and yet again, with dull, angry insistence.
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