ked
round, expecting to see the bulkhead of the little cabin he had
occupied, on board the Swan. But the first glance assured him of
the reality of the dream, and that he was alone, among a strange
people.

He sprang at once to his feet, pulled aside a cloth that hung
before an opening that served as a window, and let the rays of the
sun stream in.

"I want some water, old dame," he said, in a loud voice.

The old woman at once entered. Roger made signs, by rubbing his
hands together, and passing them over his face and head, that he
wanted water. This the old woman brought, in a basin formed of the
half of an immense gourd, and a soft cotton cloth with which to dry
himself. Then she brought in a small pot, filled with something
which looked to him like fat, but which he afterwards found was
extracted from a vegetable, and put it down by the side of the
water.

"I suppose that this is some sort of soap," Roger said to himself,
and found on trial, to his great satisfaction, that it made an
excellent lather.

After a good wash he felt greatly refreshed, and now attired
himself completely in Mexican costume, a pile of garments of all
sorts having been placed in one corner of the room. When he had
finished the two girls entered, with a tray containing cocoa,
fruits, and bread. He was about to address Malinche by her name;
but the girl kept her eyes fixed upon the ground, and it struck him
that she did not wish her late visit to him to be known, as it
might bring upon her a scolding from the old woman; whose voice he
had more than once heard, on the previous afternoon, raised in
shrill anger.

He therefore began afresh, first naming himself, and then touching
Malinche's companion.

She did not at first understand, but Malinche said something in a
low tone, and she then replied, "Nishka."

Roger repeated the name, and then touched Malinche, who at once
gave her name.

He next pointed to the contents of the bowl, and the girls replied
together, "Coca."

Roger repeated the word several times, and then, in the same
manner, learned the native names of the cakes and fruit.

The old woman, hearing the voices, now came into the room. The
girls spoke eagerly to her in their language, and when Roger
touched her, she at once answered, "Quizmoa."

"That is pretty well, for a first lesson," Roger said. "Now I will
eat my breakfast. I suppose that, if anyone in this place did not
have a stare at me yesterday, they will