"I'll keep that in mind," he responds wryly, deciding not to brag about the fact that he probably doesn't need to fear the blades of those amazons.  Boasts will have to wait until he's proven that he has something to boast about, unless he wants to be thought a fool.  "Can you tell me what the great long-nosed creatures on the mountain paths are?  There's nothing quite like them in my homeland."