Chapter 37

The Arabs were astonished when we turned back our steps and some were not satisfied, and there was a great deal of remonstrance and there were many escapes and so it was with waning to follow till we took our way east again and at first the sheikh was not curious as to our exact destination but when it became clear that we were making again into the valley of the wizard he also showed concern and this grew as we approached until he finally stopped at the entrance of the valley and refused to go any further and said he would wait for our return if we chose to continue on our own and that he would wait three days but if we were not back by then he would leave and not Any offer of money tempted him to turn away from this decision, and the only concession he could make was that he would find the stairs and bring them nearer to the cliff. This is what he did, and then he returned with the rest of the force to wait at the entrance to the valley.

Mr. Trelawney and I took ropes and to