ling. "There aren't any."

"No," continued Ram Lal, "never disturb yourself about that, but just
knock your man down and be done with it. I will guarantee you can do it
well enough, and if he gives you trouble I may be able to help you."

"All right; give me some cigarettes;" and before I had smoked one I was
asleep.

When I awoke the sun was down, but there was a great light over
everything. The full moon had just risen above the hills to eastward and
bathed every object in silver sheen. The far peaks, covered with snow,
caught the reflection and sent the beams floating across the deep dark
valleys between. The big boulder, against which the tent was pitched,
caught it too, and seemed changed from rough stone to precious metal; it
was on the tent-pegs and the ropes, it was upon Isaacs' lithe figure, as
he tightened his sash round his waist and looked to his pocket-book for
the agreement. It made Ram Lal, the gray and colourless, look like a
silver statue, and it made the smouldering flame of the watch-fire
utterly dim and faint. It was a wonderful moon. I looked at my watch; it
was eight o'clock.

"Yes," said Isaacs, "you were tired and have slept long. It is time to
be off. There is some whiskey in that flask. I don't take those things,
but Ram Lal says you had better have some, as you might get fever." So I
did. Then we started, leaving everything in the tent, of which we pegged
down the flap. There were no natives about, the dooly-bearers having
retired to the other side of the valley, and the jackals would find
nothing to attract them, as we had thrown the remainder of our meal over
the edge. As for weapons, I had a good revolver and a thick stick;
Isaacs had a revolver and a vicious-looking Turkish knife; and Ram Lal
had nothing at all, as far as I could see, except a long light staff.

The effect of the moonlight was wild in the extreme, as we descended the
side of the mountain by paths which were very far from smooth or easy.
Every now and then, as we neared the valley, we turned the corner of
some ridge and got a fair view of the plain. Then a step farther, and we
were in the dark again, behind boulders and picking our way over loose
stones, or struggling with the wretched foothold afforded by a surface
of light gravel, inclined to the horizontal at an angle of forty-five
degrees. Then, with a scramble, a jump, and a little swearing in a great
many languages--I think we counted that we spoke twenty-seven be