Chap. XXI. ADVENTURES WITH A PRIEST. 



409 



on with his search all night long. Again my 

 room was filled with smoke, again the floor was 

 strewed with burning charcoal, and as I was think- 

 ing of retiring to rest, this state of things was far 

 from being either pleasant or agreeable. I there- 

 fore ventured to remonstrate with him and to call 

 his attention to the fact that as he had searched 

 all these places several times already, it was a loss 

 of time to search there again. His only reply to 

 my remonstrance was uttered in a doleful, dreamy 

 tone — " My ya-za ! my ya-za ! I have lost my 

 ya-za ! " 



At last he seemed to awake all at once from his 

 dream, and turning round to me with a good-hu- 

 moured smile upon his countenance, he said, " Well, 

 I cannot find my key ; but, never mind, there are 

 two beds in this room, and as you can only occupy 

 one of them, I shall take the other." This propo- 

 sition, although perfectly fair, and one that I could 

 scarcely object to, was far more reasonable than 

 agreeable to my feelings. I therefore put in one 

 or two objections in as mild a form as possible. 

 " There are no bedding or clothes in that bed, and 

 you will surely suffer greatly from the cold." This 

 had no effect; he assured me he had plenty of 

 clothes upon him, and that he would sleep very 

 comfortably on the bare bed. " Well but," said I, 

 laughing, " are you not afraid to sleep in the same 

 room with a pah kwie-tze (white devil) ? " It may 

 be remembered that this was the man who ap- 

 peared to dread me so much on our first acquaint- 



