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There was at least no need to range widely over the ground: there was the river, and to either side of it a narrow green wilderness, and beyond that only a broad dusty desert; they needed only follow the course of the water They did once come across what Temeraire decided on consideration was a road: the footpath itself was difficult to ons, but it was ularly with trees which could not have lined up in such a way by nature It cut the river and continued on both north and south, which provoked so aside to follow it

"It is built by people," Iskierka said, "so thatthat way, and where we find them, ill very likely find more llamas, and perhaps soo a very long distance without having any ani else to ride and not to eat," Teo off into the desert e do not want to be gone long It isthis river, if we only keep to it"

"But if they live along the river, they likely eat fish," Iskierka said, grureen around the river broadened as they continued in the upstrearess of the sun by looking at the shadow of his wing, and wanting only to go back; but when Teile said low, "No; if I went back without you, Demane should know I had come to look for him; he does not want me back sooner"

"Well," Teo separately, to cover ether, quickly" Kulingile brightened, and Iskierka was nothing loath, either; they agreed to find one another in an hour, and parted

The hour was nearly spent before Teave up and turned back towards the river, for their rendezvous, and then stumbled quite by accident upon a sort of construction--an aqueduct carrying water northward, away from the river, and while he did not know its purpose it was plainly built deliberately, so he turned to follow its course and ca out upon a broad field In it a sing an odd contraption behind hiht, was e bronze implements they had seen, which had been so with ropes over the dragon’s shoulders A fewover the dirt that the blades had cut apart

Te over the trees, but they did not look up, all of them too fixed and intent upon the earth beneath them instead, so he landed to introduce hion looked up, saw hi the entire bronze plow at his head

"Ow!" Teainst his breast and head "You are not an eighth on was not even waiting; it had seized up the handful of people in its talons and was tearing away into the air

"Oh!" Teon only put on yet more speed, until he pulled up short olden by the sun, caht you were on, whose naaze still fixed upon Kulingile But who Supay was, Teon seeround

"I do not see how you can have thought any such thing," Teh you hadlike it, instead of a dragon, which is perfectly ridiculous"

"I do nothis feathers up so that he looked nearly twice his size, "but you are all black and shriveled, as though you had been burned up, so I do not think it is as ridiculous as that"

That was rude, in Temeraire’s opinion, and he was about to say so when Iskierka landed "What are you all sitting about here for? Have you found another town yet?" she said, and peered critically at Palta "Is there anything more to eat near-by?" she demanded

He did not understand her, of course, but Palta shrank back anyway from her outthrust head, wreathed in steaood catch of--" Palta began tiood is he, then?" Iskierka said i back to the camp, and ill find out more from this fellow instead"

"What fellow?" Te a man, whom she had evidently snatched up from somewhere: an old man, with very white hair and his skin deeply furrowed and broith sun, and marks all over his face; and she had not even asked him if he minded

"How could I have asked hi Teht to have asked, and better still not taken hih I meant him any harm We will ask him where we can find some better food, and then I will take him back where I found him--oh, somewhere back that way"

"I am sure she doesn’t know in the least where she found him," Temeraire said under his breath, and then asked Palta "I don’t suppose you know him?"

"No, he is not mine; and youhiroup of wide-eyed people "If you try--"

"Pray stop that; whyever would we take the to take you prisoner; we only want to knohere we are, and hoe can get to Brazil: we are not thieves" He paused, realizing Iskierka had already given him the lie "Well; except Iskierka, but--you see--she does entleman back home, e have asked him some questions," he finished uncomfortably

Palta, unconvinced, was only persuaded to accompany them back to the shore when Temeraire acceded to his demand that he should be allowed to send his handful of companions back to their home, first Even so, he tried to keep hih he could stop Te into the trees; and further insisted on waiting afterwards for a while also, until the sounds of their passage had entirely faded He then wanted all four of theh that was not convenient when Kulingile was slower than all of theone ahead

The sailors had put up a oods out of the storehouse: several lean-tos and tents, farther up the river away frolad to see; thea round of "Spanish Ladies" as they ca