set upon a table. Do you wholly eat flesh," says I, "at Doorpt
Swangeanti?"--"Flesh," says she laughingly, "of what?"--"Nay," says
I, "you know best what the beasts of your own country are. We have in
England, where I was born and bred, oxen, very large hogs, sheep, lambs,
and calves; these make our ordinary dishes: then we have deer, hares,
rabbits, and these are reckoned dainties; besides numberless kinds of
poultry, and fish without stint"--"I never heard of any of these things
in my life," says Youwarkee, "nor did I ever eat anything but fruits and
herbs, and what is made from them, at Normnbdsgrsutt."--"You will speak
that crabbed word," says I, "again."--"I beg your pardon, my dear,"
says she; "at Doorpt Swangeanti, I say; nor I, nor any one else, to my
knowledge, ever ate any such thing; but seeing you eat fish, as you
call them, I made no scruple of doing so too, and like them very well,
especially the salted ones, for I never tasted what you call salt
neither till I came here."--"I cannot think," says I, "what sort of a
country yours is, or how you all live there."--"Oh," says she, "there
is no want; I wish you and I were there." I was afraid I had talked too
much of her country already, so we called a new cause.

Soon after winter had set in, as we were in bed one night, I heard
the voices again; and though my wife had told me of her countryfolk's
swangeans in that place, I, being frighted a little, waked her; and she
hearing them too, cried out, "There they are! it is ten to one but
my sister or some of our family are there. Hark! I believe I hear
her voice." I myself hearkened very attentively; and by this time
understanding a great deal of their language, I not only could
distinguish different speakers, but knew the meaning of several of the
words they pronounced.

I would have had Youwarkee have gotten up and called to them. "Not for
the world," says she; "have you a mind to part with me? Though I have no
intent to leave you, as I am with child, if they should try to force me
away without my consent, I may receive some injury, to the danger of my
own life, or at least of the child's." This reason perfectly satisfying
me, endeared the loving creature to me ten times more, if possible, than
ever.

The next summer brought me a yawm,* as fair as alabaster.

* Man-child.

My wife was delivered without the usual assistance, and had as
favourable a labour as could be. The first thing I did, after givi