True, it was a pleasant captivity, for the gentle Rōlâ-Bōlâ almost killed us with dainty feeding, and our only toil was dancing, singing and capering for her amusement.
Night and day, the sole gateway of the royal habitation was guarded by a triple row of round-bodied sentinels, so fierce-visaged, so mighty-handed, that my heart grew sick as I gazed upon them.
To add to my despair, I now made a discovery which seemed to seal my fate forever—the princess Rōlâ-Bōlâ had become enamored of me!
What to me, at first, had seemed but a playful trick, to wit, her pinching my little toe ever and anon, had, as I was casually informed by one of the learned Roundbodies, in the course of a discussion with him, a terrible significance.
It was a solemn declaration of love!
Oh! miserable me!
And a declaration, too, which, coming from a woman to a man, it was certain, sure, inevitable death to ignore!
And yet I might be saved!
For the custom—made sacred by the observance of long ages—required the man to pursue the woman, who pretended to be frightened and extremely solicitous of escaping him, and while revolving with the same velocity as she, to pinch her little toe in return.
This ended the matter.