the season came on.

I told them that I enjoyed camping out for a few days at a time in
such country for sketching and shooting purposes. I asked as to the
possibilities of hiring tents and mules to carry them, and a good
muleteer was recommended to me, who knew the whole of the countryside,
and could tell me all the likely spots that there were for camping
grounds.

Eventually I engaged him to take me for a day or two in exploring the
neighbourhood, with a view to fixing on camping grounds and seeing the
view. We went for a considerable distance along a splendid high road
which led up into the mountains. As we got into the high parts he
suggested that we should leave the road and clamber down into the
ravine, along which we could go for some distance and then reascend
and rejoin the road higher up.

He then explained that this was a military road, and that it would be
desirable to leave it for a space in order to avoid the guard-house
upon it, where a sentry was posted with orders to allow no one beyond
that point.

We successfully evaded the guard-house according to his direction, and
eventually found ourselves on the road again, in a position well up
towards the top of the ridge; but on our left as we progressed up the
road was a steep minor ridge which we presently proceeded to ascend.

When we were near the top he said to me with a knowing grin:--

"Now if you look over there, you will see before you exactly what you
want."

And as I looked over I found below me one of the new forts. It was
exactly what I wanted to see spread before my eyes like a map. I
simply had to take a bird's-eye view of it to get its complete plan.

Beyond it on another ridge lay another fort, and almost behind me I
could see part of the third, while beyond and above were still more
forts up on the heights. I had got into a regular nest of them.
My position on the ridge gave me a splendid view of mountains, and
referring to them I said:--

"Yes, indeed, you have brought me to exactly the right spot."

But he grinned again maliciously, pointing down to the fort, and
said:--

"Yes, but that is the best view of all, I think."

He seemed to grasp my intentions most fully. Far below the forts
lay the straits which they were designed to protect for the vessels
steaming through them. I started at once to make a sketch of the
panorama, carefully omitting that ground where the forts lay, partly
in order to disarm my friend's suspicio