At length he spoke: "They have come--the children of hell have been here, and have destroyed everything!" "Rima! What has become of Rima ?" I cried; but without replying he walked on, and I followed.
The house, we soon found, had been burnt down.

Not a stick remained.
Where it had stood a heap of black ashes covered the ground--nothing more.

But on looking round we could discover no sign of human beings having recently visited the spot.

A rank growth of grass and herbage now covered the once clear space surrounding the site of the dwelling, and the ash-heap looked as if it had been lying there for a month at least.
As to what had become of Rima the old man could say no word.

He sat down on the ground overwhelmed at the calamity: Runi's people had been there, he could not doubt it, and they would come again, and he could only look for death at their hands.