ommand before I use force."

The professor handed the document, and Yussuf walked straight to where
the head-man was standing aloof, caught him by the shoulder and pushed
him inside his house, where he made him read the order.

The effect was magical. The man became obsequious directly; the horses
were led to a rough kind of stable; barley was found for them, a sturdy
fellow removed bridles and saddles, and carried them into a good-sized
very bare-looking room in the house, which he informed them was to be
their chamber for the night.

Here a smoky lamp was soon lit; rugs were brought in, and before long a
rough meal of bread, and eggs and fruit was set before them, followed by
some coffee, which, if not particularly good, was warm and refreshing in
the coolness of the mountain air.

The lamp burned low, and they were glad to extinguish it at last, and
then lie down upon the rugs to sleep.

It seemed strange and weird there in the darkness of that room. Only a
few hours before, they were in the heated plain; now by the gradual rise
of the road they were high up where the mountain-breeze sighed among the
cedars, and blew in through the unglazed window.

There was a sense of insecurity in being there amongst unfriendly
strangers, and Lawrence realised the necessity for going about armed,
and letting the people see that travellers carried weapons ready for
use.

Twice over that day they had passed shepherds who bore over their
shoulders what, at a distance, were taken for crooks, but which proved
on nearer approach to be long guns, while each man had a formidable
knife in his sash.

But, well-armed though they were, Lawrence could not trust himself to
sleep. He was horribly weary, and ached all over with his long ride,
but he could not rest. There was that open window close to the ground,
and it seemed to him to offer great facilities for a bloodthirsty man to
creep in and rob and murder, if he chose, before the sleepers could move
in their own defence.

It was a window that looked like a square patch of transparent
blackness, with a point or two of light in the far distance that he knew
were stars. That was the danger, and he lay and watched it, listening
to the breathing of his friends.

The door gave him no concern, for Yussuf had stretched himself across it
after the fashion of a watchdog, and he too seemed to sleep.

How time went Lawrence could not tell, but he could not even doze, and
the time see