“We listened, but heard no sounds from below; then, satisfied that we were at last safe, we left the large painted hall.
“Outside we went on the walls and looked over. There a vast crowd of chariots were standing, with a number of amazon guards. They saw us, and several bent their bows, but we could afford to laugh at this display, as the arrows only reached a short distance up the cliffs.
“We at once hurried away, however, for suddenly a thought occurred to me that there might be some other way up, and we had no desire to be captured.
“Another thing made us not linger in that deserted citadel. We had plenty of ammunition and wealth, etc., but we had very little provisions, and only about one bag full of water.
“Fortunately we were going down the hill, and knew exactly how long we should take before we reached the Rhodes fountain. But for all that, we were nearly dead from thirst before we reached it.
“Those awful bashikonay ants were in our minds also, all down that hot and parching defile. If we should meet them here, there was no hope for us. Luckily we did not, nor did we see any of them again.
“The stream was still running as clearly as ever. We felt happy when we reached it, even although we had not half a meal each left out of our scanty stock.
“Nor did we taste anything after that until we were a full day’s journey from the mountain. Then we killed a couple of lions, and had to satisfy our appetites on them until we got once more amongst the game.
“Here we were all right. We stayed three weeks on the plains, hunting and drying meat, and otherwise preparing ourselves for the dismal forest. We had not lost a man since starting, and for this we all rejoiced; but in the return through the forest we were not quite so fortunate, and I am sorry to have to report the loss of ten, whom we had to bury there.
“One day we ran right into a camp of those active little nomads, who surrounded us and gave us battle. How many they were we could not tell, as they dodged us amongst the trees and brushwood.