Chapter Thirty Three.
A Formidable Party.
Fortunately for the travellers a glorious moonlight night followed the glowing evening, and they reached in safety a mountain village, where, awed by their appearance and display of arms, the rather surly people found them a resting-place.
For days and days after this their way was on and on, among the mountains, deeper and deeper in the grand wild country. Sometimes they encountered good and sometimes surly treatment, but the beauty of the scenery and the wonderful remains of ancient occupation recompensed the professor, while Mr Burne in his snappish manner seemed to be satisfied in seeing Lawrence’s interest in everything around him, his relish for the various objects increasing every hour.
For the change was unmistakable; he was making rapid progress back to health; and instead of the rough life and privations of hunger, thirst, and exposure having a bad effect, they seemed to rouse up in his nature a determination that rapidly resulted in vigour.
“What are you going to show us to-day, Yussuf?” asked the lad, one glorious autumn morning, when the little party were winding along one of the many mountain tracks, so like others they had passed that they might have been repeating their journey.
“Before long we shall reach the great ruins of which I have so often spoken,” replied Yussuf, smiling at the boy’s eager look.
“At last!” cried Lawrence. “I began to think that we were never going to get there. But is there nothing to see to-day?”
“Yes,” replied Yussuf. “We are approaching a village now. It lies yonder low down in this rift—where the cedars are half-way up on that shelf in the mountain side.”