"_Regardez mon père, regardez! Il va mieux, le pauvre homme._"
"_C'est ça, ma fille chérie, faites le boire._"
I open my eyes with an effort, for the dust of the desert has almost blinded me.
I am in a beautiful garden, leaning against the body of the dead ostrich, a lovely girl is holding a cup of water to my parched lips, and an old man of benevolent aspect stands by her side.
"_Merci mademoiselle, vous etes bien bonne_," I murmur.
"This passes comprehension. Are you French, monsieur?"
"English! This is stranger still. But whence come you, and who bound you on the nandu?"
"I will tell you--a little more water, I pray you, mademoiselle."
"Let him drink again, Angela--and dash some water in his face; he is faint."
"_Le pauvre homme!_ See how his lips are swollen! Do you feel better, monsieur?" she asked compassionately, again putting the cup to my lips.
"Much. A thousand thanks. I can answer your question now (to the old man). I was bound on the nandu by order of the Queen of the Pachatupec Indians."
"The Pachatupec Indians! I have heard of them. But they are a long way off; more than a hundred leagues of desert lies between us and the Pachatupec country. Are you quite sure, monsieur?"
"Quite. And seeing that the nandu went at great speed, though not always in a direct line, and we must have been going fifteen or sixteen hours, I am not surprised that we have travelled so far."
"_Mon dieu!_ And all that time you have neither eaten nor drunk. No wonder you are exhausted! Come with us, and we will give you something more invigorating than water. You shall tell us your story afterward--if you will."
I tried to rise, but my stiffened and almost paralyzed limbs refused to move.
"Let us help you. Take his other arm, Angela--thus, Now!" And with that they each gave me a hand and raised me to my feet.
"How was it? Who killed the nandu?" I asked as I hobbled on between them.
"We saw the creature coming toward us with what looked like a dead man on his back, and as he did not seem disposed to stop I told Angela, who is a famous archer, to draw her bow and shoot him. He fell dead where he now lies, and when we saw that, though unconscious, you still lived, we unloosed you."
"And saved my life. Might I ask to whom I am indebted for this great service, and to what beautiful country the nandu has brought me?"