Page 58 - erewhon

they thought it rather a good joke that I had come past the
statues. Then one among them came forward and motioned
me to follow, which I did without hesitation, for I dared not
thwart them; moreover, I liked them well enough, and felt
tolerably sure that they had no intention of hurting me.
In about a quarter of an hour we got to a small Hamlet
built on the side of a hill, with a narrow street and houses
huddled up together. The roofs were large and overhanging.
Some few windows were glazed, but not many. Altogether
the village was exceedingly like one of those that one comes
upon in descending the less known passes over the Alps on
to Lombardy. I will pass over the excitement which my ar-
rival caused. Suffice it, that though there was abundance of
curiosity, there was no rudeness. I was taken to the princi-
pal house, which seemed to belong to the people who had
captured me. There I was hospitably entertained, and a sup-
per of milk and goat’s flesh with a kind of oatcake was set
before me, of which I ate heartily. But all the time I was eat-
ing I could not help turning my eyes upon the two beautiful
girls whom I had first seen, and who seemed to consider me
as their lawful prize—which indeed I was, for I would have
gone through fire and water for either of them.
Then came the inevitable surprise at seeing me smoke,
which I will spare the reader; but I noticed that when they
saw me strike a match, there was a hubbub of excitement
which, it struck me, was not altogether unmixed with dis-
approval: why, I could not guess. Then the women retired,
and I was left alone with the men, who tried to talk to me
in every conceivable way; but we could come to no under-