This was another thing that I welcomed and which was to my advantage.

Soon I had reached the building I was headed for.

The sides of this were somewhat smoother, but I thought I could tackle it. The only problem here was that the walls were fairly well illuminated and I might be seen.

There was nothing for it but to risk it, for no other time would be better. I would try to reach a window and swing myself in. Once inside the building I might be able to hide myself better and at least discover something, by watching and listening, of where Shizala was being kept.

I got a hold on a piece of projecting stone and hauled myself up, inch by inch. It was slow going and increasingly difficult. All the windows—little more than holes in the rock—were some distance above the ground, none less than twenty feet, and the one I had decided to try was probably higher. I deduced that fear of attack was the reason why the windows were positioned so high.

But at last I managed to make the window and peered over the sill to see if the room beyond was occupied. It did not appear to be.

I entered quickly.

It appeared that I was in a store-room of some kind, for there were wicker baskets of dried fruit and meat, herbs and vegetables. I decided to make use of some of the food stuff, obviously looted in an earlier raiding expedition. I selected the most palatable items and ate them. I was thirsty, too, but there was no readily available source of water. I would have to wait for a drink.

Feeling refreshed, I explored the room. It was fairly large and very draughty. Perhaps because of the draughts, it had not been used as a living accommodation for a long while—judging by the old and near-rotted pieces of basket that littered the floor.

I found the door and tried it.

To my  great  disappointment it was  locked—barred from the outside, probably as a precaution against thieves!

I was very weary and my eyes kept closing involuntarily as I fought sleep. The pursuit had been long and arduous; we had allowed ourselves little time for rest. I decided that I would be more use to Shizala if I were rested.

I clambered over the baskets and made myself a kind of nest in the centre by removing some baskets and piling them around me. That way I would be warmer, and if anyone entered the room they would not see me. Feeling fairly secure, I lay down to sleep.

An increase in the glow of firelight entering the window told me that it was a new Argzoon 'day'. But, I realized immediately, that was not what had awakened me.

There was someone else in the room.

Very cautiously, I stretched my cramped limbs and began to stand up, peering through a crack in my barricade.