They had hardly begun to make their arrangements for the night when three black men appeared from the edge of the forest not far away and slowly approached them.
“Those be different lookin’ niggers than any we have seen yet, lad,” remarked Dobbin, eying the newcomers suspiciously.
“I reckon you’ll find them much the same as the rest,” responded Trim. “They’re probably curious about us and take the same sort of interest in us that children do in a circus parade.”
This, in fact, had been the kind of attention they had received thus far in the journey.
Wherever they went the black men whom they passed stared at them open-mouthed, and when they went into camp or paused for dinner they were often watched at a little distance by groups of natives.
Up to this time no natives had spoken to them.
These three came straight up to the camp and stopped at a little distance from Trim and Dobbin, who were seated carelessly upon a box.
One of the black men made a motion with his hand. Trim did not know what it meant, but he promptly imitated the motion and stood up.
“I presume that means how do you do,” he said to Dobbin.
The black then said a few words in his own language.