Erewhon

The men bring the narrator through the mountains, passing through a series of villages. The narrator notes that the people are exceedingly well-built and attractive, even into old age, and that they have plenty of goats, cattle, and dogs, but no cats. Though the narrator cannot speak with them, he gestures to show his approval of their physical appearance, and they seem content with him. After four hours, the group arrives in a larger town. Here, the narrator is placed in an apartment with two other men, both of whom are ill. The narrator notes that they are the only people he has seen that are not in perfect health, and, shortly after the two men are removed from the apartment, the narrator is brought before a magistrate. The magistrate is confused by the narrator and orders two other men to examine him. The men confirm that the narrator is in perfect health, and they begin to search his pack. They are amused by the narrator’s tobacco pipe, but they are upset by his watch.

Although the narrator cannot understand the magistrate, he realizes that the man is not afraid of the watch, but is instead angry about it.