A day or two was
spent in arranging our stores and buying what more we wanted, for we
could not expect to be able to procure anything in Neopalia. I was
rather surprised to find no letter for me from the old lord, but I had
no thought of waiting for a formal invitation, and pressed on the hour
of departure as much as I could. Here, also, I saw the first of my new
subjects, Hogvardt having engaged a couple of men who had come to him,
saying they were from Neopalia and were anxious to work their passage
back. I was delighted to have them, and fell at once to studying them
with immense attention. They were fine, tall, capable-looking fellows,
and they, too, with ourselves, made a crew more than large enough for
our little boat; for both Denny and I would make ourselves useful on
board, and Hogvardt could do something of everything on land or water,
whilst Watkins acted as cook and steward. The Neopalians were, as they
stated, in answer to my questions, brothers; their names were Spiro
and Demetri, and they informed us that their family had served the
lords of Neopalia for many generations. Hearing this, I was less
inclined to resent the undeniable reserve and even surliness with
which they met my advances. I made allowance for their hereditary
attachment to the outgoing family; and their natural want of
cordiality toward the intruder did not prevent me from plying them
with many questions concerning my predecessors on the throne of the
island.
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