"I come from a far country, England, and it is my pleasure to travel in new lands and see new peoples." "Weel-le-am," she said gravely, "you are far from your friends." Ned bent his head in assent.

Her simple words made him feel that he was indeed far from his own land and surrounded by a thousand perils.

The woman did not speak again and they moved on with an even stroke down the canal which had an uniform width of about thirty feet.

They were still passing houses of stone and others of adobe, but before they had gone a mile they were halted by a sharp command from the shore.

An officer and three soldiers, one of whom held a lantern, stood on the bank.
Ned had expected that they would be stopped.