"But if they have somewhat to impart to him?"

"It is theirs to obey, and pantomime seems sufficient to convey the
little they have to return to him, for it is seldom more than, 'My Lord,
I have done the thing you gave me to do.' If the matter be complex, he
too resorts to the lip-speech, which he could not teach without first
being proficient in it himself. Thus, for instance, to Nilo"--

"The black giant who defended you against the Greek?"

"Yes--a wonderful man--an ally, not a servant. On the journey to
Constantinople, the Prince turned aside into an African Kingdom called
Kash-Cush. I cannot tell where it is. Nilo was the King, and a mighty
hunter and warrior. His trappings hang in his room now--shields, spears,
knives, bows and arrows, and among them a net of linen threads. When he
took the field for lions, his favorite game, the net and a short sword
were all he cared for. His throne room, I have heard my father the
Prince say, was carpeted with skins taken by him in single combats."

"What could he do with the net, little Princess?"

"I will give you his account; perhaps you can see it clearly--I cannot.
When the monster makes his leap, the corners of the net are tossed up in
the air, and he is in some way caught and tangled... Well, as I was
saying, Nilo, though deaf and dumb, of choice left his people and throne
to follow the Prince, he knew not where."

"Oh, little friend! Do you know you are talking the incredible to me?
Who ever heard of such thing before?"