“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 it almost by accident, after a series of hairbreadth escapes; and that I trusted they would not allow any evil to overtake me now that I was completely at their mercy.  All this I said quietly and firmly, with hardly any change of expression.  They could not understand me, but they looked approvingly to one another, and seemed pleased (so I thought) that I showed no fear nor acknowledgment of inferiority—­the fact being that I was exhausted beyond the sense of fear.