It was too
late to attempt to escape by flight; I was spent with my long
journey and the many privations I had suffered, while he stood
there in his full strength with a deadly weapon in his hand.
Nothing was left but to put a bold face on, greet him in a
friendly way, and invent some plausible story to account for my
action in secretly leaving the village.
He was now standing still, silently regarding me, and glancing
round I saw that he was not alone: at a distance of about forty
yards on my right hand two other dusky forms appeared watching me
from the deep shade.
"Piake!" I cried, advancing three or four steps.
"You have returned," he answered, but without moving. "Where
from?"
"Riolama."
He shook his head, then asked where it was.
"Twenty days towards the setting sun," I said. As he remained
silent I added: "I heard that I could find gold in the mountains
there. An old man told me, and we went to look for gold."
"What did you find?"
"Nothing."
"Ah!"
And so our conversation appeared to be at an end. But after a
few moments my intense desire to discover whether the savages
knew aught of Rima or not made me hazard a question.
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