"It will give us unbounded pleasure to shake hands again with some of our fellow-creatures.

You, no doubt, have escaped the same disaster as ourselves." But the English officers, neither by word nor gesture, made the slightest acknowledgment of this familiar greeting.
"What news can you give us of France, England, or Russia ?" continued Servadac, perfectly unconscious of the stolid rigidity with which his advances were received.

"We are anxious to hear anything you can tell us.

Have you had communications with Europe?
Have you--" "To whom have we the honor of speaking ?" at last interposed Colonel Murphy, in the coldest and most measured tone, and drawing himself up to his full height.
"Ah! how stupid! I forgot," said Servadac, with the slightest possible shrug of the shoulders; "we have not been introduced." Then, with a wave of his hand towards his companion, who meanwhile had exhibited a reserve hardly less than that of the British officers, he said: "Allow me to introduce you to Count Wassili Timascheff." "Major Sir John Temple Oliphant," replied the colonel.
The Russian and the Englishman mutually exchanged the stiffest of bows.
"I have the pleasure of introducing Captain Servadac," said the count in his turn.
"And this is Colonel Heneage Finch Murphy," was the major's grave rejoinder.
More bows were interchanged and the ceremony brought to its due conclusion.

It need hardly be said that the conversation had been carried on in French, a language which is generally known both by Russians and Englishmen--a circumstance that is probably in some measure to be accounted for by the refusal of Frenchmen to learn either Russian or English.
The formal preliminaries of etiquette being thus complete, there was no longer any obstacle to a freer intercourse.