Suddenly, I noticed Manaia standing on the edge of the embankment, looking intently into the water. He walked around the edge of the pond, thrusting the dull end of his spear into the water, as if searching for something under the surface. When he reached the clump of reeds, he paused for a moment, then moved closer to the edge of the waterfall. Teuila's eyes widened as he got closer, and she motioned for us to move closer to the base of the cataract. She pinched her fingers around the base of the tube in her mouth then pulled them away quickly as she puffed her cheeks.
I glanced at her for a moment, then nodded my head in understanding. One of the first things I’d learned when using a snorkel was how to purge the water from the tube whenever I ducked under water. I took a deep breath in, then we paddled under the falling water as I felt the reed vibrating from the pressure of the deluge above us. When the we finally reached a calmer section near the embankment, I blew heavily out the tube, feeling the water passing upward through the reed, then I breathed deeply in. There was still a bit of water in the cylinder and I coughed suddenly, but after a few more frantic purges, I was able to breathe comfortably again.
As we treaded water trying to remain in a fixed position, we looked up through the gurgling surface. Manaia stared in our direction for a long moment, then he finally stepped back from the shore and joined the rest of his team on the cliff. Teuila's father motioned in the direction of the brush where she'd emerged earlier, then the group quickly dispersed. I kicked my legs toward the surface, but Te' reached out and grabbed my arm, motioning for me to stay submerged a little longer. About a minute later, Manaia reemerged at the edge of the abutment and turned his head to scan the surface of the lagoon, then he took off again into the forest. Teuila waited another five minutes, then she signaled that it was safe to resurface.
"Oh my God!" I said, looking at her with wide eyes. "That was intense. I was sure that Manaia had seen us. That was smart of you to wait until he'd left the second time."
"It's still not entirely safe," Teuila said. "I think we should wait here for another half hour or so. Once we know that they're not coming back, we'll have to find another place to hide. I want to put as much distance between us and the village as possible."
I circled my hands gently underwater as my eyes darted over her face.
"What about the beach where my charter boat came in? You said that was a good day's hike from your village. That should be the first place my crew will look for me if they return."
"That might work," Te' nodded. "But we'll have to be careful about staying too close to the shore. My father will probably send out another search party following the perimeter of the island by canoe. We'll scope out the area when we get there."
I kicked my legs excitedly, realizing we'd soon be alone again.
"Teuila," I said, throwing my arms around her, almost pulling both of us underwater. "I'm so happy we're together again. I could live in a cave with you if I had to."
"Let's hope your friends return for you soon," she said, peering nervously around the edge of the waterfall. "That might be the only safe place for us to hide soon if they don't."
11
Teuila dressed my wounds with the milky sap of a spongy plant, then she wrapped my feet in banana leaves to help quell the bleeding. After a few minutes, I could feel the pain and throbbing begin to subside, and I shook my head marveling at her ability to apply natural cures. But I was far more concerned about the cut on her finger, which was still dripping blood under her makeshift bandage.
"That feels better," I said, lifting her hand to take a closer look at her incision. "But your cut looks far worse. Will a couple of leaves will be enough to close that wound?"
"I missed the main artery," she said, squeezing her finger tenderly. "I just need to apply a tight compress to stem the bleeding and allow it to clot."
She glanced down at my wet T-shirt and smiled.
"Do you think you'd be willing to part with your shirt? If we tear it into strips, we can wrap it around both my finger and your feet. We've got a long walk ahead of us to get to the other side of the island and it will help keep the dirt out of your wounds."
"Why not?" I smiled. "I've done it once before already. Now that we're alone, I don't feel so self-conscious about protecting my modesty." I pulled my shirt over my head and handed it to her. "Do you want my bra too?"
Te' peered at my bosom pushed together with the constricting garment and shook her head.
"It's probably best that you keep that on for a little longer. There will be plenty of sharp objects poking out of the brush as we make our way through the jungle. We don't want to get those pretty breasts of yours all scratched up. Besides, we might be able to find a better use for it later."
She bit the bottom of my shirt to make a small incision, then tore it in half lengthwise down the front and the back before pulling off the sleeves. Then she hacked two narrow pieces of bark off a nearby tree with her adze and placed them under my feet, wrapping the long ends of my shirt around the husks and tying the ends firmly behind my ankle.
"Not quite as pretty as your Western shoes," she said, but hopefully they'll last at least until we get to the other side of the island.
I stood up and paced forward and back a few steps, testing my newly fashioned sandals.
"They're surprising comfortable," I nodded. "Especially with those leafy insoles. Maybe we can hook you up with Nike when we return to the States."
"Nike?"
"Just kidding," I laughed. "They're a big shoe manufacturer back home. You're a woman of many talents, Te'. I'm sure we can find you a more interesting job when the time comes."
Teuila looked up at me and smiled.
"I'm excited to learn all about your culture. But right now, I think we should head over to the other side of the island. We don't want to overstay our welcome here. My father may come back to search for us if he doesn't find us elsewhere."
Teuila tore up one of the sleeves into a spiral strip, then she wrapped and tied it tightly around her wounded finger.
"Come on," she said. "Let's go see if we can find a better hiding place."