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Then came the sound of chattering and laughter, and there
approached two lovely girls, of about seventeen or eighteen years old,
dressed each in a sort of linen gaberdine, with a girdle round the waist.
They saw me. I sat quite still and looked at them, dazzled with their
extreme beauty. For a moment they looked at me and at each other in
great amazement; then they gave a little frightened cry and ran off as
hard as they could.

"So that's that," said I to myself, as I watched them scampering. I knew
that I had better stay where I was and meet my fate, whatever it was to
be, and even if there were a better course, I had no strength left to
take it. I must come into contact with the inhabitants sooner or later,
and it might as well be sooner. Better not to seem afraid of them, as I
should do by running away and being caught with a hue and cry to-morrow
or next day. So I remained quite still and waited. In about an hour I
heard distant voices talking excitedly, and in a few minutes I saw the
two girls bringing up a party of six or seven men, well armed with bows
and arrows and pikes. There was nothing for it, so I remained sitting
quite still, even after they had seen me, until they came close up. Then
we all had a good look at one another.

Both the girls and the men were very dark in colour, but not more so than
the South Italians or Spaniards. The men wore no trousers, but were
dressed nearly the same as the Arabs whom I have seen in Algeria. They
were of the most magnificent presence, being no less strong and handsome
than the women were beautiful; and not only this, but their expression
was courteous and benign. I think they would have killed me at once if I
had made the slightest show of violence; but they gave me no impression
of their being likely to hurt me so long as I was quiet. I am not much
given to liking anybody at first sight, but these people impressed me
much more favourably than I should have thought possible, so that I could
not fear them as I scanned their faces one after another. They were all
powerful men. I might have been a match for any one of them singly, for
I have been told that I have more to glory in the flesh than in any other
respect, being over six feet and proportionately strong; but any two
could have soon mastered me, even were I not so bereft of energy by my
recent adventures. My colour seemed to surprise them most, for I have
light hair, blue eyes, and a fresh complexion. They could not understand
how these things could be; my clothes also seemed quite beyond them.
Their eyes kept wandering all over me, and the more they looked the less
they seemed able to make me out.

At last I raised myself upon my feet, and leaning upon my stick, I spoke
whatever came into my head to the man who seemed foremost among them. I
spoke in English, though I was very sure that he would not understand. I
said that I had no idea what country I was in; that I had stumbled upon

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