Then she let her arm fall and beckoned, whereon a great fellow who, I suppose, was the leader of the band, rose and crept towards her with bowed head, submissive as a beaten dog.

To him she made signs, pointing to us, pointing to the far-off Peak, crossing and uncrossing her white-wrapped arms, but so far as I could hear, speaking no word.

It was evident that the chief understood her, however, for he said something in a guttural language.

Then he uttered his shrill whistle, whereon the band rose and departed thence at full speed, this way and the other, so that in another minute they had vanished as quickly as they came.
Now our guide motioned to us to proceed, and led the way upward as calmly as though nothing had happened.
For over _two_ hours we went on thus till our path brought us from the ravine on to a grassy declivity, across which it wound its way.

Here, to our astonishment, we found a fire burning, and hanging above the fire an earthenware pot, which was on the boil, although we could see no man tending it.