ire to come into touch in any
way whatever with their uninvited visitors. Then, a mile or so farther
on, the herds became larger and their attendants more numerous; and,
next, the intruders reached what seemed to be a belt of farms, each
containing its own fortified farmhouse, a lofty and, apparently,
immensely strong and solid structure of hewn stone, surrounded in many
cases by a moat, either wet or dry, with a single narrow entrance high
up in the wall and only accessible by means of a ladder; the unglazed
window openings few in number and too narrow to permit the passage of a
human being through them; the roof flat, and protected by a breast-high
parapet; the structure, as a whole, constituting a very efficient
miniature stronghold. The crops appeared to be of the most varied
character, starting with sugar cane on the outside margin of what may be
called the agricultural belt, and then gradually changing to various
kinds of grain, which in its turn was succeeded by fruit orchards and
vineyards. These last, however, were not met with until the detached
farms had been left far behind, and had been succeeded in turn, first by
tiny hamlets of half a dozen houses huddled together as if for mutual
protection, and then by villages of ever-increasing importance, each
dominated by a castle-like structure that looked as though it might
serve the purpose of a keep or refuge for the inhabitants to retire to
in times of stress or danger. These, however, were not reached by the
travellers until quite late in the following day, and are only referred
to now, in order that some idea may be conveyed of the manner in which
the mysterious white race who inhabited the country met the problem of
carrying on their agricultural pursuits, and at the same time affording
protection to the farmers against sudden raids by their savage
neighbours.

The region or belt of small hamlets still lay some two miles ahead of
the travellers when, about half an hour before sunset, the word was
given to outspan in the midst of a patch of rich pasture watered by a
small, shallow stream of crystal-clear water. By the time that the sun
was sinking behind a range of hills that rose gradually from the plain,
and the summits of which were apparently about twenty miles distant, the
oxen and other animals had been watered, the tent pitched, and the two
leaders of the little expedition, having found a passable bathing place
a short distance up the stream and t