16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
seated on a faggot covered with a herb related
to lady's bedstraw, and handed a gourd
of maté with a silver tube. The Indians were
perfectly civil and obliging, but they had no
smile for him: this had been the case with all
the few Indians he had met: a gloomy nation
by all appearances, unsocial, quite withdrawn.
It was therefore with some amazement that he
observed their delight in Eduardo's presence,
their cheerfulness, and even, in spite of their
profound respect, their laughter, which he had
never heard before. Eduardo spoke to them
only in Quichua, which came trippingly off his
tongue: he had apologized to Stephen beforehand,
saying that most of them did not
know Spanish and that some of those who did
preferred to conceal their knowledge.
Now, however, turning to Stephen he said in
that language, 'Sir, allow me to show you a
guanaco in the field outside. He is the wild