“How long have you been here?”
“On this rock? Perhaps five minutes.”
“Not on the rock. In Caracuña?”
“Quite a long time. Nearly a fortnight.”
The commentary on this was so indefinite that she was moved to inquire:—
“Is that a local dialect you’re speaking?”
“No; that was a grunt.”
“I don’t think it was a very polite grunt, even as grunts go.”
“Perhaps not. I’m afraid I’m out of the habit.”
“Of grunting? You seem expert enough to satisfy—”