They had no gold , but they understood the sign -LRB- all the gold-traders hide their gold in their thick hair -RRB- , for they pointed along the coast . They beat , too , on their chests with their clenched hands , and that , if we had known it , was an evil sign . ' ` What did it mean ? ' said Dan . ` Patience . Ye shall hear . We followed the coast eastward sixteen days -LRB- counting time by sword-cuts on the helm-rail -RRB- till we came to the Forest in the Sea . Trees grew there out of mud , arched upon lean and high roots , and many muddy waterways ran all whither into darkness , under the trees . Here we lost the sun . We followed the winding channels between the trees , and where we could not row we laid hold of the crusted roots and hauled ourselves along . The water was foul , and great glittering flies tormented us . Morning and evening a blue mist covered the mud , which bred fevers . Four of our rowers sickened , and were bound to their benches , lest they should leap overboard and be eaten by the monsters of the mud . The Yellow Man lay sick beside the Wise Iron , rolling his head and talking in his own tongue . Only the Bird throve . She sat on Witta 's shoulder and screamed in that noisome , silent darkness . Yes ; I think it was the silence we most feared . ' He paused to listen to the comfortable home noises of the brook . ` When we had lost count of time among those black gullies and swashes we heard , as it were , a drum beat far off , and following it we broke into a broad , brown river by a hut in a clearing among fields of pumpkins . We thanked God to see the sun again .
The people of the village gave the good welcome , and XXXXX scratched his head at them -LRB- for gold -RRB- , and showed them our iron and beads .
Witta days evening fevers gold-traders helm-rail pumpkins rowers sword-cuts throve