272 
NIGHT JOURNEY. 
pensive-eyed sisters, wives of one man, allowed 
me to examine their beautiful silver ornaments 
bn neck, arms, and ears, when I took the op- 
portunity to try to discover how they manage 
to arrange a single piece of scarlet cloth so as 
to form a complete garment, draping gracefully 
from shoulder to ankles. Perhaps the rising 
moon and the uncertain quivering light of the 
illuminations gave them a charm they might 
not sustain in the full light of day ; but my im- 
pression is that they are the most graceful 
women I have ever looked upon. 
It was midnight when we started from the 
town. The moon was well up, casting long 
shadows into the gorges, and making every 
bush seem a crouching figure. It was very 
pleasant as we plodded on ; the path was al- 
most as clear as in daylight, and the cool night 
wind came laden with the scent of wild thyme 
and the sweet odour of milk, borne from some 
hillside where a herd of buffaloes would be re- 
posing. 
How tired I was when we at last reached the 
hut ! We had been astir since 4 a.m, of the 
previous morning, and it was now nearly 3 a.m. 
I was fainting from fatigue, and could not wait 
till water was boiled for tea. “ Give me weak 
