The maintenance of my own dignity before my followers forbade my
standing thus before a seated barbarian, and I made a gesture for him
to rise. This he answered in an unseemly manner by ejecting from his
mouth a brownish fluid, projecting it over and beyond the balustrade
in front of him. Then looking upon me as if about to laugh, and yet
with a grave face, he uttered something in an unmusical voice which I
failed to understand.

Upon this Nofuhl, who had caught the meaning of one or two words,
stepped hastily forward and addressed him in his own language. But the
barbarian understood with difficulty and they had much trouble in
conversing, chiefly from reason of Nofuhl's pronunciation. He
afterward told me that this man's language differed but little from
that of the Mehrikans, as they wrote it eleven centuries ago.

When he finally arose in talking with Nofuhl I could better observe
him. He was tall and bony, with an awkward neck, and appeared at first
glance to be a man of forty years. We decided later he was under
thirty. His yellow skin and want of hair made him seem much older than
he was. I was also much puzzled by the expression of his face. It was
one of deep sadness, yet his eyes were full of mirth, and a corner of
his mouth was ever drawing up as if in mockery. For myself I liked not
his manner. He appeared little impressed by so many strangers, and
bore himself as though it were of small importance whether we
understood him or not. But Nofuhl since informed me that he asked a
multitude of questions concerning us.

What Nofuhl gathered was this:

This Mehrikan with his wife and one old man were all that remained of