The dark-haired man listened intently. Immediately he fell to
nodding with great vigor, and thought deeply again before making
another try: "We are your friends. Whence came ye, and what seek
ye?"
Rolla had to listen closely to what he said. The language was
substantially the same as hers; but the verbs were misplaced in the
sentences, the accenting was different, and certain of the vowels
were flatted. After a little, however, the man caught her way of
talking and was able to approximate it quite well, so that she
understood him readily.
"I seek," Rolla replied, "food and rest. I have traveled far and am
weary."
"Ye look it," commented the man. His name, Rolla found out later,
was Somat. "Ye shall have both food and rest. However, whence came
ye?"
"From the other side of the world," answered Rolla calmly.
Instantly she noted that the twelve became greatly excited when
Somat translated her statement. She decided to add to the scene.
"I have been away from my people for many days," and she held up one
hand with the five fingers spread out, opening and closing them four
times, to indicate twenty.
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