I then took the purse, and opening it,
poured all the gold into his palm. There were six Spanish pieces, of
four pistoles[44] each, besides twenty or thirty smaller coins. I saw
him wet the tip of his little finger upon his tongue, and take up one of
my largest pieces, and then another, but he seemed to be wholly ignorant
what they were. He made me a sign to put them again into my purse, and
the purse again into my pocket, which, after offering it to him several
times, I thought it best to do.
The farmer by this time was convinced I must be a rational creature. He
spoke often to me, but the sound of his voice pierced my ears like that
of a water-mill, yet his words were articulate enough. I answered as
loud as I could in several languages, and he often laid his ear within
two yards of me; but all in vain, for we were wholly unintelligible to
each other. He then sent his servants to their work, and taking his
handkerchief out of his pocket, he doubled and spread it on his left
hand, which he placed flat on the ground, with the palm upwards, making
me a sign to step into it, as I could easily do, for it was not above a
foot in thickness.
I thought it my part to obey, and, for fear of falling, laid myself at
full length upon the handkerchief, with the remainder of which he lapped
me up to the head for farther security, and in this manner carried me
home to his house.
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