The gyptians arrived oernoon of the following day. There was no harbor, of course, so they had to anchor the ship some way out, and John Faa, Farder , and the captain came ashore in a launch with Serafina Pekkala as their guide.
Mary had told the mulefa everything she knew, and by the time the gyptians were stepping ashore onto the wide beach, there was a curious crowd waiting to greet them. Each side, of course, was on fire with curiosity about the other, but John Faa had learned plenty of courtesy and patien his long life, and he was determihat these stra of all people should receive nothing but grad friendship from the lord of the western gyptians.
So he stood i sun for some time while Sattamax, the old zalif, made a speech of wele, which Mary translated as best she could; and John Faa replied, bringing them greetings from the Fens and the waterways of his homeland.
When they began to move up through the marshes to the village, the mulefa saw how hard it was for Farder to walk, and at ohey offered to carry him. He accepted gratefully, and so it was that they came to the gathering ground, where Will and Lyra came to meet them.
Su age had gone past since Lyra had seen these dear men! Theyd last spoken together in the snows of the Arcti their way to rescue the children from the Gobblers. She was almost shy, and she offered her hand to shake, uainly; but John Faa caught her up in a tight embrad kissed both her cheeks, and Farder did the same, gazing at her before foldiight to his chest.
"Shes growed up, John," he said. "Remember that little girl we took to the north lands? Look at her now, eh! Lyra, my dear, if I had the tongue of an angel, I couldnt tell you how glad I am to set eyes on you again."
But she looks so hurt, he thought, she looks so frail and weary. Aher he nor John Faa could miss the way she stayed close to Will, and how the boy with the straight black eyebrows was aware every sed of where she was, and made sure he rayed far from her.
The old meed him respectfully, because Serafina Pekkala had told them something of what Will had done. For Wills part, he admired the massive power of Lord Faas presence, power tempered by courtesy, ahought that that would be a good way to behave when he himself was old; John Faa was a shelter and a stre.
"Dr. Malone," said John Faa, "we o take on fresh water, and whatever in the way of food your friends sell us. Besides, our men have been on board ship for a fair while, and weve had some fighting to do, and it would be a blessing if they could all have a run ashore so they breathe the air of this land aheir families at home about the world they voyaged to."
"Lord Faa," said Mary, "the mulefa have asked me to say they will supply everything you need, and that they would be honored if you could all joihis evening to share their meal."
"Itll be reat pleasure to accept," said John Faa.
So that evening the people of three worlds sat down together and shared bread a and fruit and wihe gyptians preseheir hosts with gifts from all the ers of their world: with crocks of genniver, carvings of walrus ivory, silken tapestries from Turkestan, cups of silver from the mines of Sveden, enameled dishes from Corea.
The mulefa received them with delight, and iurn offered objects of their own workmanship: rare
vessels of a knot wood, lengths of the fi rope and cord, lacquered bowls, and fishis s and light that even the Fen-dwe