Teuila picked up her adze and led me through the jungle, staying a few hundred yards away from shore to keep out of sight from the canoe team. Every now and then, a thin break in the brush revealed the wide expanse of blue surrounding the island, and she stopped to earmark the position of the passing boat.
"Do you know your way to their village?" I asked after she paused for another moment.
"Not as easily from this side of the island," she said. "But I've spied on them before on some of my longer hikes from my village. As long as we keep following the canoe, they should lead us directly there."
"Assuming they're heading to their village and not yours," I said, wondering if the angry tribesmen were already planning to attack.
"It's not a large enough team to overtake our village, even with the element of surprise. I'm ninety-nine percent sure this was just a scouting mission in preparation for the main invasion."
"It's that other one percent I'm worried about," I said, peering at Te's primitive hatchet. "If it came to an armed conflict, how would you defend yourself? Shouldn't we have brought the fire bow with us just in case?"
"That wouldn't do much good against an army of hundreds. It's too small to function as a weapon. Besides," she smiled, "that's one skill I still haven't taught you."
I shook my head at how quickly everything had begun spiraling out of control
"And here I thought the people of Anuta were such a peace-loving tribe."
"We normally are," Teuila said. "But some men's egos are easily offended. It appears that this next generation of chiefs still have a bone to pick."
"I just hope it won't be our bones they’re picking over in the end," I said, re-imagining scenes of cannibalism among the warring tribes.
17
Dusk was beginning to set in as we approached a flickering light near the edge of the forest. Teuila held up her hand and crouched low as she peered through the trees. The team of canoeists were pulling their vessel up onto a sandy beach framed by thatch-roofed huts similar to those in her own village. A gray-haired man wearing a grass skirt approached the boatmen, flanked by a group of other young tribesmen. They paused to confer briefly on the beach, then they walked up the path and sat around a large fire burning in the center of their square.
Te' turned around and handed me her stone adze and small filleting knife.
"You stay here," she said. "I’m going to try getting closer to see if I can make out what they're saying."
I looked at the basic implements, batting my eyes wondering how they could possibly serve me better than her.
"What do you expect me to do with these?"
"Nothing, hopefully," she smiled. "They'll just slow me down. But you might need them if I get caught."
"What? To tomahawk the bad guys and cut you free?"
"Don't even think about trying that," she said. "If I don't return within the next hour, can you find your way back to my village to warn my father?"
I paused, looking up at the darkening sky.
"Not at dark, that's for sure."
"It will be easier if you double back to our lagoon, then try to pick up the trail from there. Worst-case scenario, just stay close to the beach and follow the island around until you get to our village. It might take a little longer, but at least that way you won't get lost."
"You're making this sound increasingly ominous," I said, wrinkling my brow. "Please be careful, Te'. Don't go any closer than you have to."
"Don't worry, my love," she smiled. "I've done this many times before. I should be back before the sun disappears over the horizon."
Teuila kissed me gently, then crept into the woods in the direction of the village. As I watched her tip-toeing through the trees, I marveled at how quietly she was able to pass through the dense brush hardly making a sound.
That's my girl, I nodded, peering up at the whispering canopy. Don’t even let the snakes know you're there.
After a few minutes, she passed out of sight, and I squinted through the thicket, focusing on the circle of tribesmen seated around the fire.
It's true, I thought, remembering what she'd said to me earlier. Why is it always the men who need to mix things up and create conflict? I closed my eyes and imagined Teuila and me back in our little treehouse, living a peaceful life in our isolated stretch of paradise. I was in no hurry returning to all the stress and noise of Western civilization.
I picked up her adze and ran my finger gently over the edge of its blade. It was heavier than I imagined, and surprisingly sharp. I studied the head and shape of the handle, admiring how her people had fashioned such an effec