Once or twice he thought of going back, deeming his a foolish quest, lost in a wilderness of bushes and blinding fog, but the sharp, clear clank stirred his purpose anew, and he went on down the slope, until he saw a red glow in the heart of the fog.

Then he sank down among the bushes and listened with intentness.

Presently the faint hum of voices came to his ear, and he was quite sure that many men were not far away.
He resumed his slow advance, but now he was glad the bushes were soaked with water, as they did not crackle or snap with the passage of his body, and the luminous glow in front of him broadened and deepened steadily.

Near the bottom of a deep valley he stopped and from his covert saw where great fires had driven the fog away.

Around the fires were many warriors, some of them sleeping in their blankets, while others were eating prodigiously, after their manner.