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Hundreds, Platoffs with their Platoons, and Dolmans with their
Detachments; Woons, Neguses, and Akhoonds ranking in the rear
(still armed to the teeth). Behind them was the Tribe in
hierarchical order, from owners of four caves (one for each
season), a private reindeer-run, and two salmon-leaps, to feudal
and prognathous Villeins, semi-entitled to half a bearskin of
winter nights, seven yards from the fire, and adscript serfs,
holding the reversion of a scraped marrow-bone under heriot
(Aren't those beautiful words, Best Beloved?). They were all
there, prancing and shouting, and they frightened every fish for
twenty miles, and Tegumai thanked them in a fluid Neolithic
oration.

Then Teshumai Tewindrow ran down and kissed and hugged Taffy very
much indeed; but the Head Chief of the Tribe of Tegumai took
Tegumai by the top-knot feathers and shook him severely.

'Explain! Explain! Explain!' cried all the Tribe of Tegumai.

'Goodness' sakes alive!' said Tegumai. 'Let go of my top-knot.
Can't a man break his carp-spear without the whole countryside
descending on him? You're a very interfering people.'

'I don't believe you've brought my Daddy's black-handled spear
after all,' said Taffy. 'And what are you doing to my nice
Stranger-man?'

They were thumping him by twos and threes and tens till his eyes
turned round and round. He could only gasp and point at Taffy.

'Where are the bad people who speared you, my darling?' said
Teshumai Tewindrow.

'There weren't any,' said Tegumai. 'My only visitor this morning
was the poor fellow that you are trying to choke. Aren't you
well, or are you ill, O Tribe of Tegumai?'

'He came with a horrible picture,' said the Head Chief,--'a
picture that showed you were full of spears.'

'Er-um-Pr'aps I'd better 'splain that I gave him that picture,'
said Taffy, but she did not feel quite comfy.

'You!' said the Tribe of Tegumai all together.
'Small-person-with-no-manners-who-ought-to-be-spanked! You?'

'Taffy dear, I'm afraid we're in for a little trouble,' said her
Daddy, and put his arm round her, so she didn't care.

'Explain! Explain! Explain!' said the Head Chief of the Tribe of
Tegumai, and he hopped on one foot.

'I wanted the Stranger-man to fetch Daddy's spear, so I drawded
it,' said Taffy. 'There wasn't lots of spears. There was only one
spear. I drawded it three times to make sure. I couldn't help it
looking as if it stuck into Daddy's head--there wasn't room on
the birch-bark; and those things that Mummy called bad people are
my beavers. I drawded them to show him the way through the swamp;
and I drawded Mummy at the mouth of the Cave looking pleased
because he is a nice Stranger-man, and I think you are just the
stupidest people in the world,' said Taffy. 'He is a very nice
man. Why have you filled his hair with mud? Wash him!'

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