nobody said anything at all for a longtime, till the head chief laughed; then the stranger-man (who was at least a tewara) laughed; then tegumai laughed till he fell down flat on the bank; then all the tribe laughed more and worse and louder. the only people who did not laugh were teshumai tewindrow and all the neolithic ladies. they were very polite to all their husbands, and said ‘idiot!’ ever so often.