own.

"Was there ever an English boy in so strange a strait as mine?" he
said to himself. "What an extraordinary people! Gold seems as
plentiful with them as common pottery with us; and as to the
magnificence of their dresses, I verily believe that the court of
King Harry would make but a poor show beside them. If I could land
at Plymouth tomorrow, with all the presents I have received today,
I should be a rich man. Here they are valueless.

"I received presents at first at Tabasco, and yet, had I remained
there a month longer, I should have been sacrificed to those cruel
gods of theirs. These presents mean really nothing to me. They seem
magnificent, but gold is so common, here, that it is no more than
if, at home, one presented a man with necklaces of glass, and some
woolen cloths. It is a mark of civility, but that is all.

"When I get there, the priest will be inquiring into my religion,
and when they see that I pay no honor to their gods, they will be
sure to raise a cry against me.

"Malinche was telling me that, every year, some special prisoner is
chosen for sacrifice, and is treated with great honor, and has
every luxury until the time comes, and then they put him to death.
Brutes! I have no doubt they will consider that, from my very
rarity, I shall make a specially acceptable sacrifice.

"I wish I was back on the Hoe again. Cousin Diggory, and Mistress
Mercy, and the girls little think into what a horrible fix I have
fallen--alone among a strange people, who breathe smoke out of
their mouths, and load me with rich presents one day, and may kill
me on the next. Well, when the day comes I shall try not to
disgrace my country, and religion, and color; but it is very hard,
being all alone here. If I had but two or three of my companions of
the Swan with me, I should feel that I could face whatever came;
but it is hard to stand quite alone, and I am only a boy.

"Still, they shall find that I can strike a rough blow or two,
before I die. They shall not find that it is a lamb that they are
going to sacrifice, but a Devonshire lad, with such bone and muscle
as one gets from a life on the sea.

"It is strange that these people should be so cruel. They seem so
mild and so gentle, and yet Malinche says they sacrifice tens of
thousands of captives, every year, to their gods. They never kill
in battle if they can avoid it, striving only to take their enemies
prisoners, for this horrible service.

"I must try,