Abdul had heard the disturbance, and cried from within the hut:—
"Háït! háït! Ulyashin."
But Zhilin scratched the dog behind the ears. The dog makes no more sound, rubs against his legs, and wags his tail.
They wait behind the corner.
All became silent again; the only sound was the bleating of a sheep in the fold, and far below them the water roaring over the pebbles.
It is dark, but the sky is studded with stars. Over the mountain the young moon hung red, with its horns turned upward.
In the valleys a mist was rising, white as milk. Zhilin started up, and said to his comrade in Tatar, "Well, brother, aï-da!"
They set out again.
But as they get under way, they hear the call of the mulla on the minaret:—
"Allah! Bis'm Allah! el Rakhman!"