th 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. Then one of them pointed to the
mountain, in the direction of the statues, and made a grimace in
imitation of one of them. I laughed and shuddered expressively, whereon
they all burst out laughing too, and chattered hard to one another. I
could make out nothing of what they said, but I think they t