Pereira shrugged his shoulders. “It is something for a man to know his own mind,” said he drily, “even if that mind is none of the soundest.” But he made no further objections, and we spent the remainder of the evening discussing the mysterious cavern and considering the details of the great wild goose chase. It was nearly midnight when we rose to retire, and, as Pereira shook hands with me and wished me “good-night,” he said with sudden warmth, “You are a romantic young idiot, Englefield, there is no doubt, but, all the same, if I were twenty years younger, you should not go on your quest alone.” “And I,” said his daughter, “if I were only a man, would be proud to go with him and share his perils and adventures.” “And so there would be three of us,” said Pereira, “a most glorious and undivided trinity of fools.” He laughed again, and waving his hand to me went off to bed. CHAPTER IX. I BID FAREWELL TO MY FRIENDS. I remained at Quittáh some six weeks owing to various delays on the part of Annan, and so pleasantly the time sped that, as the period of my departure approached, my impatience to be gone gave way to a strong reluctance to leave the scene of so much happiness. Pereira, having once accepted my scheme, entered into it with all the fire and enthusiasm of the genuine old Portuguese adventurer, and spent all his leisure in preparing me for the difficult part I had to play. He brought out an aged Arabic grammar and dictionary, with the aid of which and of a printed Koran that he had imported for trade purposes, he instructed me in the sacred tongue. He accompanied me to the Mahommedan settlement outside the town and expounded the habits and customs of the people in it. He visited the primitive thatch-built mosque with me, and conversed in Hausa with the old Mallam or priest that I might study the vernacular and improve my accent. He took me through the camp at sunset that I might commit to memory the strange sing-song cries of the worshippers as they prayed on their mats by the road-side; and he picked up odds and ends of Hausa clothing to furnish me for my journey.