e. Thus it will be seen that
we were, speaking comparatively, in clover.

By dawn on the following morning Leo was quite light-headed, and fancied
that he was divided into halves. I was dreadfully distressed, and began
to wonder with a sort of sick fear what the end of the attack would be.
Alas! I had heard but too much of how these attacks generally terminate.
As I was wondering Billali came up and said that we must be getting on,
more especially as, in his opinion, if Leo did not reach some spot
where he could be quiet, and have proper nursing, within the next twelve
hours, his life would only be a matter of a day or two. I could not but
agree with him, so we got Leo into the litter, and started on, Ustane
walking by his side to keep the flies off him, and see that he did not
throw himself out on to the ground.

Within half an hour of sunrise we had reached the top of the rise of
which I have spoken, and a most beautiful view broke upon our gaze.
Beneath us was a rich stretch of country, verdant with grass and lovely
with foliage and flowers. In the background, at a distance, so far as I
could judge, of some eighteen miles from where we then stood, a huge and
extraordinary mountain rose abruptly from the plain. The base of this
great mountain appeared to consist of a grassy slope, but rising from
this, I should say, from subsequent observation, at a height of about
five hundred feet above the level of the plain, was a most tremendous
and absolutely precipitous wall of bare rock, quite twelve or fifteen
hundred feet in height. The shape of the mountain, which was undoubtedly
of volcanic origin, was round, and of course, as only a segment of its
circle was visible, it was difficult to estimate its exact size, which
was enormous. I afterwards discovered that it could cover less than
fifty square miles of ground. Anything more grand and imposing than
the sight presented by this great natural castle, starting in solitary
grandeur from the level of the plain, I never saw, and I suppose I never
shall. Its very solitude added to its majesty, and its towering cliffs
seemed to kiss the sky. Indeed, generally speaking, they were clothed in
clouds that lay in fleecy masses upon their broad and level battlements.

I sat up in my hammock and gazed out across the plain at this thrilling
and majestic sight, and I suppose that Billali noticed it, for he
brought his litter alongside.

"Behold the house of '_She-who-must-be-obeyed_!'