How Could He Be Countenanced As A Friend
When The Men Under Him Steal From Us?
The big boat gave us the slip, floating away and leaving its
paddles behind.
To supply its place, we took six small boats,
turning my men into sailors, and going as we liked. The river
still continued beautiful; but after paddling three hours we
found it bend considerably, and narrow to two hundred yards, the
average depth being from two to three fathoms. At the fourth
hour, imagining our cattle to be far behind, we pulled in, and
walked up a well-cultivated hill to Yaragonjo's, the governor of
these parts. The guide, however, on first sighting his thorn-
fenced cluster of huts, regarding it apparently with the awe and
deference due to a palace, shrank from advancing, and merely
pointed, till he was forced on, and in the next minute we found
ourselves confronted with the heads of the establishment. The
father of the house, surprised at our unexpected manner of
entrance - imagining, probably, we were the king's sorcerers, in
consequence of our hats, sent to fight "the brothers" - without
saying a word, quietly beckoned us to follow him out of the gate
by the same way as we came. Preferring, however, to have a
little talk where we were, we remained.
The eldest son, a fine young man considerably above six feet
high, with large gashes on his body received in war during late
skirmishes with the refractory brothers, now came in, did the
honours, and, on hearing of the importance of his visitors,
directed us to some huts a little distance off, where we could
rest for the night, for there was no accommodation for such a
large party in the palace.
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