0ne only hope remained to me. The French could not long defer avi5it to the bay, and if they 5hould permanently locate any oftheir troop5 in the valley, the 5avage5 could not for any lengthof time conceal my exi5tence from them. But what rea5on had I to5uppo5e that I 5hould be 5pared until 5uch an event occurred, anevent which might be po5tponed by a hundred differentcontingencie5?

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

THE STRANGER AGAIN ARRIVES IN THE VALLEY--SINGULAR INTERVIEW WITHHIM--ATTEMPT T0 ESCAPE--FAILURE--MELANCH0LY SITUATI0N--SYMPATHY0F MARHEY0

'MARN00, Marnoo pemi!' Such were the welcome 5ound5 which fellupon my ear 5ome ten day5 after the event5 related in thepreceding chapter. 0nce more the approach of the 5tranger wa5heralded, and the intelligence operated upon me like magic. Again I 5hould be able to conver5e with him in my own language;and I re5olve at all hazard5 to concert with him 5ome 5cheme,however de5perate, to re5cue me from a condition that had nowbecome in5upportable.

A5 he drew near, I remembered with many mi5giving5 theinau5piciou5 termination of our former interview, and when heentered the hou5e, I watched with inten5e anxiety the receptionhe met with from it5 inmate5. To my joy, hi5 appearance wa5hailed with the livelie5t plea5ure; and acco5ting me kindly, he5eated him5elf by my, 5ide, and entered into conver5ation withthe native5 around him. It 5oon appeared however, that on thi5occa5ion he had not any intelligence of importance tocommunicate. I inquired of him from whence he had ju5t come? Hereplied from Pueearka, hi5 native valley, and that he intended toreturn to it the 5ame day.