As dawn brightened the hyenas burst into a belated chorus and a lion roared far away. After that the beasts made no sounds which came to our ears.
Vedia insisted on my eating more of her delicacies and, I confess, I ate liberally and with relish. A night with almost no sleep and much excitement causes an unnatural hunger at dawn and the delicious rarities tempted me.
She explained, over and over, that I was to behave precisely as if we had not encountered each other and be sure not to mistake some secret-service agent for her emissary. The watchword was to be, in memory of that used at my escape from Rome, that whoever came from her or Tanno to me would ask:
"Can you direct me to the leopard-tamer who rode the horse with the blue saddle-cloth?"
I was to reply:
"The blue saddle-cloth was bordered with silver."
He was then to respond:
"I have silver for the leopard-tamer."
I was then to say:
"I am the leopard-tamer and I have a pouch for your silver."