This young man had been much interested in examining my watch, the works of which were new to him, and was greatly pleased when I made him a present of it.  Shortly after, he returned the gift with interest, by a watch of his own construction, marking both the time as in my watch and the time as kept among the Vril-ya.  I have that watch still, and it has been much admired by many among the most eminent watchmakers of London and Paris.  It is of gold, with diamond hands and figures, and it plays a favorite tune among the Vril-ya in striking the hours:  it only requires to be wound up once in ten months, and has never gone wrong since I had it.  These young brothers being thus occupied, my usual companions in that family, when I went abroad, were my host or his daughter.  Now, agreeably with the honourable conclusions I had come to, I began to excuse myself from Zee’s invitations to go out alone with her, and seized an occasion when that learned Gy was delivering a lecture at the College of Sages to ask Aph-Lin to show me his country-seat.  As this was at some little distance, and as Aph-Lin was not fond of walking, while I had discreetly relinquished all attempts at flying, we proceeded to our destination in one of the aerial boats belonging to my host.  A child of eight years old, in his employ, was our conductor.  My host and myself reclined on cushions, and I found the movement very easy and luxurious.  “Aph-Lin,” said I, “you will not, I trust, be displeased with me, if I ask your permission to travel for a short time, and visit other tribes or communities of your illustrious race.  I have also a strong desire to see those nations which do not adopt your institutions, and which you consider as savages.  It would interest me greatly to notice what are the distinctions between them and the races whom we consider civilised in the world I have left.”

“It is utterly impossible that you should go hence alone,” said Aph-Lin.  “Even among the Vril-ya you would be exposed to great dangers.  Certain peculiarities of formation and colour, and the extraordinary phenomenon of hirsute bushes upon your cheeks and chin, denoting in you a species of An distinct alike from our own race and any known race of barbarians yet extant, would attract, of course, the special attention of the College of Sages in whatever community of Vril-ya you visited, and it would depend upon the individual temper of some individual sage whether you would be received, as you have been here, hospitably, or whether you would not be at once dissected for scientific purposes.  Know that when the Tur first took you to his house, and while you were there put to sleep by Taee in order to recover from your previous pain or fatigue, the sages summoned by the Tur were divided in opinion whether you were a harmless or an obnoxious animal.  During your unconscious state your teeth were examined, and they clearly showed that you were not only graminivorous but carnivorous.  Carnivorous animals of your size are always destroyed, as being of savage and dangerous nature.  Our teeth, as you have doubtless observed,* are not those of the creatures who devour flesh.”