e tree in which I had taken shelter, they did their best to
recover him, but it took a long while. When at last he revived, they
left him to dig a grave, and then laying the young man's body in it,
they threw in the earth.

This ended, the slaves brought up all the furniture that remained
below, and put it on the vessel, and breaking some boughs to weave a
litter, they laid the old man on it, and carried him to the ship, which
spread its sails and stood out to sea.

So once more I was quite alone, and for a whole month I walked daily
over the island, seeking for some chance of escape. At length one day
it struck me that my prison had grown much larger, and that the
mainland seemed to be nearer. My heart beat at this thought, which was
almost too good to be true. I watched a little longer: there was no
doubt about it, and soon there was only a tiny stream for me to cross.

Even when I was safe on the other side I had a long distance to go on
the mud and sand before I reached dry ground, and very tired I was,
when far in front of me I caught sight of a castle of red copper,
which, at first sight, I took to be a fire. I made all the haste I
could, and after some miles of hard walking stood before it, and gazed
at it in astonishment, for it seemed to me the most wonderful building
I had ever beheld. While I was still staring at it, there came towards
me a tall old man, accompanied by ten young men, all handsome, and all
blind of the right eye.

Now in its way, the spectacle of ten men walking together, all blind of
the right eye, is as uncommon as that of a copper castle, and I was
turning over in my mind what could be the meaning of this strange fact,
when they greeted me warmly, and inquired what had brought me there. I
replied that my story was somewhat long, but that if they would take
the trouble to sit down, I should be happy to tell it them. When I had
finished, the young men begged that I would go with them to the castle,
and I joyfully accepted their offer. We passed through what seemed to
me an endless number of rooms, and came at length into a large hall,
furnished with ten small blue sofas for the ten young men, which served
as beds as well as chairs, and with another sofa in the middle for the
old man. As none of the sofas could hold more than one person, they
bade me place myself on the carpet, and to ask no questions about
anything I should see.

After a little while the old man rose and brough