That
they had taken one of the maidens of their own tribe to wait upon the
Queen's child; but because the girl wept, the Queen caused them to set
her at liberty.
I was now rent between hope and terror--hope that this was my own wife
and child, and terror that they would be rent in pieces by the savage
monsters rather than given up. Of this last, the Lockos (the name of
this wandering tribe) assured us, we needed not to entertain any
apprehensions, for that they would, every one of them die, rather than
wrong a hair of their Queen's head. That very night, being joined by the
Lockos, we surrounded the colony by an extensive circle, and continuing
to close as we advanced. By the break of day we had them closely
surrounded. The monsters flew to arms at the word of command, nothing
daunted, forming a close circle round their camp and Queen, the
strongest of the males being placed outermost, and the females inmost,
but all armed alike, and all having the same demure and melancholy
faces. The circle being so close that I could not see inside, I went
with the nine red-coats to the top of a cliff, that, in some degree,
overlooked the encampment, in order that, if my Agnes really was there,
she might understand who was near her.
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