The city of Bega was three-quarters of a mile long and had manystreets wider than those of London. Some houses had massive pillars ofcrystal and silver.""What assurance can he give?" asked Raleigh."He offers on his life to prove it.""A small offer, mayhap. There be many of these lying mariners whose livesare as worthless as the stories they relate. But what said he of thenatives?""Kindly disposed," was the reply, "so far as he went, but those dwellingfarther north, where he did not go, were said to be cannibals with teethlike those of dogs, whereby you may know them.""Travellers' tales," said Raleigh. "_Omne ignotum pro mirifico_.""He returned," said Gilbert, disregarding the interruption, "in the_Gargarine_, a French vessel commanded by Captain Champagne.""Methinks something of the flavor represented by the good captain's namehath got into your Englishman's brain. Good ale never gives suchfantasies. Doth he perchance speak of elephants?""He doth," said Sir Humphrey, hesitatingly. "Perchance he saw them not,but heard of them only.""What says he of them?" asked Raleigh."He says that he saw in that country both elephants and ounces; and hesays that their trumpets are made of elephants' teeth.""But the houses," said Raleigh; "tell me of the houses.""In every house," said Gilbert, reading from the manuscript, "they havescoops, buckets, and divers vessels, all of massive silver with which theythrow out water and otherwise employ them.
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