And when I went on further and called again and again, there was
no reply, and I knew that she had indeed gone on that long
journey alone.
CHAPTER XVIII
When Nuflo at length opened his eyes he found me sitting alone
and despondent by the fire, just returned from my vain chase. I
had been caught in a heavy mist on the mountain-side, and was wet
through as well as weighed down by fatigue and drowsiness,
consequent upon the previous day's laborious march and my
night-long vigil; yet I dared not think of rest. She had gone
from me, and I could not have prevented it; yet the thought that
I had allowed her to slip out of my arms, to go away alone on
that long, perilous journey, was as intolerable as if I had
consented to it.
Nuflo was at first startled to hear of her sudden departure; but
he laughed at my fears, affirming that after having once been
over the ground she could not lose herself; that she would be in
no danger from the Indians, as she would invariably see them at a
distance and avoid them, and that wild beasts, serpents, and
other evil creatures would do her no harm. The small amount of
food she required to sustain life could be found anywhere;
furthermore, her journey would not be interrupted by bad weather,
since rain and heat had no effect on her.
Pages:
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331