Her red-gold hair was dressed in a big knot at the back of her head with a clasp at each side. Her dress was of plain white, save for the blue embroidery which ran round the hem of the short skirt and the ends of the short sleeves. Over her shoulder she wore a shawl, doubtless to conceal her bandage, for the dress had a low-cut square neck. It was gathered in at her hips by a belt of fine worked leather, fastened loosely with the ends hanging down in front, and my old tennis-shoes had been replaced by twisted leather sandals of some white hide. Krylos motioned us to table, and I found myself placed between him and Aryenis. Forsyth was on his other hand, with Stephnos next to him. “You see, I do _not_ wear trousers in my own country,” confided Aryenis. “Skirts!” “Nice short ones,” I reminded her. “They are indeed nice, as you said.” “Compliments again, Harilek! But I won’t quarrel with them this time. They might be sincere now, whereas last time--” “Whereas last time they were of even greater value really since your clothes were against you.” “_Your_ clothes,” she reminded me. Then food was brought in, a stew of mutton, fat-tailed sheep, I think; some hill partridges, and afterwards sweet cakes with an amber-coloured wine. Forsyth and I missed our forks badly, but we managed to get through the meal without disgracing ourselves. “You’re not coming with us this afternoon through the caves in those clothes, I imagine, Aryenis?” said I. “Indeed, I am not, Harilek. I’m going to stop in and rejoice my feminine soul in contemplating pleasing garments and getting the desert out of my hair. I very nearly had food brought in to me, but I thought, as it was your first meal in our country, I would come and watch you after seeing you live on Firoz’s food in the desert. What did you call that stuff that pretended to be bread? ‘_Cheptis_,’ or something like that? That’s ungrateful of me, though, considering the trouble Firoz took over me always. But he was not meant to be a cook.” “I said he was a soldier.” “Yes; I can imagine him as that. He makes me think of some of my father’s older soldiers. Very gruff and very solid, but very kind withal. But not skilled overmuch in the pleasant things of life.” “Such as cakes and sweets made with milk out of cans.” “As you say, Harilek. All the same, you liked the things I made with stuff out of metal boxes, even though the milk tasted funny, not really like milk that grows in proper cows. Well, I’m going to vanish for the afternoon now and get rid of the desert, which seems to have blown right through my skin.” Then we went out and found a score of men awaiting us outside. Some carried ropes, others sacks of grain and bundles of forage. Four of them were armed: evidently the guard Kyrlos had promised us.