La Poule Noire (The Black Pullet)

-felt some need original: éprouvais; completing the word and sentence from the previous page: "if I experienced some need." and left me alone.

Until that moment, I had not reflected at all upon everything that had happened to me or the consequences of these events; I found myself in safety within this underground chamber souterrain: a subterranean vault or hidden cellar; in this context, the secret living quarters within the pyramid. I felt no anxiety regarding my host; but eventually, I would have to leave him after my recovery and rejoin the army. These thoughts were occupying my mind when I saw the old man return; he made me understand that several bodies of Arabs and Mamluks Mamluks: a professional caste of horse-mounted warriors who ruled Egypt at the time and fought against the French Napoleonic invasion were patrolling the plain, and that he had observed them without being seen, because his retreat original: retraite; a place of seclusion or a hidden shelter. was impenetrable to any gaze; he assured me that he would take care of me, that he looked upon me as his son, and that I could abandon myself to the greatest sense of security. I showed him all my gratitude original: reconnaissance; he appeared satisfied by it, and as I seemed unhappy at only being able to express myself through signs, he brought me a book, indicating to me that with its help we would soon be able to mutually communicate our thoughts. The career I had followed since my childhood had familiarized me with meditation In the late 18th century, "meditation" often referred to deep, disciplined study or serious contemplation rather than a purely spiritual practice.; I loved study, and I was soon in a state to make myself understood by my generous old man: he moreover applied...