Willis marched boldly on towards the natives, and when he arrived beside the old man, the crowd opened up and formed an avenue through which a chief advanced, followed by a number of men, seemingly priests, who carried a grotesque-looking figure that Jack presumed to be an idol.  The figure was made up of wicker-work—­was of colossal height—­the features, which represented nothing on earth beneath nor heaven above, were inconceivably hideous—­the eyes were discs of mother-of-pearl, with a nut in the centre—­the teeth were apparently those of a shark, and the body was covered with a mantle of red feathers.

At the command of the chief, some of the natives advanced and placed a quantity of bananas, bread-fruits, and other vegetables at the Pilot’s feet; the priests then came forward and knelt down before him, and seemed to worship after the fashion of the ancients when they paid their devotions to the Eleusinian goddess, or the statue of Apollo.  Meanwhile, Jack, on his side, was likewise surrounded by the natives, who was treated with much less ceremony than Willis.  Instead of falling down on their knees, each of them, one after the other, rubbed their noses against his, and then danced round him with every demonstration of savage joy.

Jack had now an opportunity of observing the personages about him more in detail.  They were mostly tall and well-formed; their features bore some resemblance to those of a negro, their nose being flat and their lips thick; on the other hand, they had the high cheek-bones of the North American Indian and the forehead of the Malay.  Nearly all of them were entirely naked, but wore a necklace and bracelets of shells.  They were armed with a sort of spear and an axe of hard wood edged with stone.  Their skins were tattooed all over with lines and circles, and painted; these decorations, in some instances, exhibiting careful execution and no inconsiderable degree of artistic skill.  These observations made, Jack pushed his way to the spot where Willis was receiving the homage of the priests.

“What! you here?” said the Pilot.

“Yes, Willis, I have come to see what detained you.  By the way, is there anything the matter with my nose?”

“Nothing that I can see; but the natives of New Zealand rub their noses against each other, and probably the same usage is fashion here.”

“Why, then, do they make you an exception?”

“I have not the remotest idea.”

The priests at length rose, and the chief advanced.  This dignitary addressed a long discourse to Willis in a sing-song tone, which lasted nearly half an hour.  After this, he stood aside, and looked at Willis, as if he expected a reply.

“Illustrious chief, king, prince, or nabob,” said Willis, “I am highly flattered by all the fine things you have just said to me.  It is true, I have not understood a single word, but the fruits you have placed before me speak a language that I can understand.  Howsomever, most mighty potentate, we are not in want of provisions; but if you can show us a spring of good water, you will confer upon us an everlasting favor.”