"Non capisco," faltered David, bringing forth the only Italian that he knew.
At this the brigand was silent, and again surveyed him.
"Parlate Italiano?" he asked, at length.
"No," said David, in a tremulous voice; for he understood the meaning of those words well enough.
"Hm—" said the brigand, and then, "Parlez vous Francais?"
"No," said David.
"Habla usted Espanol?" asked the brigand once more, apparently quite curious to find out the nationality of his prisoner, so as to form some basis of communication with him.
David shook his head.
The brigand paused, and frowned, and stared fixedly at David, as though trying to gather from his looks and dress what his country might be. David's dress showed him to be a respectable youth, while his face might belong to any nationality; for his complexion was dark, and somewhat sallow, his eyes dark, his hair black and straight, and his frame slender.
"Sprechen sie Deutsch?" asked the brigand, once, more returning to the examination.