for his purposes, in about a month.

"The residents of the palace seemed to comprehend just about what had
happened to the strangers. It appears that once or twice in a century
strangers similar in general exterior to this pair had arrived in that
region, generally in small boats, and on one occasion in a ship; but
none of the strangers had desired to depart from a land so beautiful, to
undertake a voyage both long and hazardous--none save the persons who
had come in a ship nearly three centuries before--(you will recall what
I told you of the small book that I read in the Astor Library). As there
was little which the Hili-lites had any desire to learn from the
strangers, there was not much to be said, anyway. Pym and Peters were
permitted to roam at will, and many Hili-lites came to look at them.
The palace in which they were permitted to reside belonged to a cousin
of the king, so that no troublesome surveillance was inflicted upon
these wrecked sailors--in fact, so completely isolated were the two,
that no feelings except a mild degree of sympathy and curiosity were
excited by their presence on the island. A small boat was at their
disposal, and they soon almost daily took the liberty of rowing across
the harbor to the wharf at the end of the main street of Hili-li, where
they would disembark, and wander for hours around this strange old city,
viewing in wonderment its beauties, its peculiarities, its mysteries.

"Hili-li is a city of from one to two hundred thousand people. But, oh,
lovely beyond power of language to describe!--past all conception, and
comparable alone with fancies such as float through the brain of
poet-lover as he lies dreaming of his soul's desire. I draw my
conclusions from Peters' state of mind when he attempts to describe this
strange city, rather than from what he says; and also from some of Pym's
remarks on the subject, which Peters was able to repeat. In your