So the old man reasoned, and he began to creep toward a place where the smoothness of the rocks indicated the wear and tear of human feet.

It was the only trace of the trail, and barely visible.

As he approached the place he knew that he must be seen, but he relied upon the fact that a man lying flat on the ground is very difficult to hit.

An arrow could scarcely strike him, and in no case could the wound be other than slight, for the shot must come from a distance, as there was, he felt certain, no one near by.
He glided like a snake, or rather like a huge lizard, which crawls over obstacles, and whose body adapts itself to depressions instead of crossing or bridging them over.

His cautious progress scarcely caused a leaf to rustle or a stone to rattle, and these noises were perceptible only in the vicinity of where they were produced.