ught at first I should keep
it to myself. In such a place as this either to hide in or to be able to
prevent anyone else hiding in might on occasion be an asset of safety.

When, however, I saw indications rather than traces that someone had
already used it to camp in, I changed my mind, and thought that whenever
I should get an opportunity I would tell the Vladika of it, as he is a
man on whose discretion I can rely. If we ever have a war here or any
sort of invasion, it is just such places that may be dangerous. Even in
my own case it is much too near the Castle to be neglected.

The indications were meagre--only where a fire had been on a little shelf
of rock; and it was not possible, through the results of burning
vegetation or scorched grass, to tell how long before the fire had been
alight. I could only guess. Perhaps the mountaineers might be able to
tell or even to guess better than I could. But I am not so sure of this.
I am a mountaineer myself, and with larger and more varied experience
than any of them. For myself, though I could not be certain, I came to
the conclusion that whoever had used the place had done so not many days
before. It could not have been quite recently; but it may not have been
very long ago. Whoever had used it had covered up his tracks well. Even
the ashes had been carefully removed, and the place where they had lain
was cleaned or swept in some way, so that there was no trace on the spot.
I applied some of my West African experience, and looked on the rough
bark of the trees to leeward, to where the agitated air, however
directed, must have come, unless it was wanted to call attention to the
place by the scattered wood-ashes, however fine. I found traces of it,
but they were faint. There had not been rain for several days; so the
dust must have been blown there since the rain had fallen, for it was
still dry.

The place was a tiny gorge, with but one entrance, which was hidden
behind a barren spur of rock--just a sort of long fissure, jagged and
curving, in the rock, like a fault in the stratification. I could just
struggle through it with considerable effort, holding my breath here and
there, so as to reduce my depth of chest. Within it was tree-clad, and
full of possibilities of concealment.

As I came away I marked well its direction and approaches, noting any
guiding mark which might aid in finding it by day or night. I explored
every foot of ground around it--in