Thus, then, they entered the river, which many might have feared to do at night, and, although once or twice the water rose to their saddles and the mules were stubborn in the swift stream, in the end gained the further bank in safety.  Thence they pursued their path through mountains till at length the sun rose and they found themselves in a lonely land where no one was to be seen.  Here they halted in a grove of oaks, off-saddled their animals, tethered and fed them with barley which they had brought upon a mule, and ate of the food that Masouda had provided.  Then, having secured the beasts, they lay down to sleep, all three of them, since Masouda said that here there was nothing to fear; and being weary, slept on till the heat of noon was past, when once more they fed the horses and mules, and having dined themselves, set forward upon their way.

Now their road—­if road it could be called, for they could see none—­ran ever upwards through rough, mountainous country, where seemed to dwell neither man nor beast.  At sunset they halted again, and at moonrise went forward till the night turned towards morning, when they came to a place where was a little cave.

Before they reached this spot of a sudden the silence of those lonely hills was broken by a sound of roaring, not very near to them, but so loud and so long that it echoed and reechoed from the cliff.  At it the horses Flame and Smoke pricked their ears and trembled, while the mules strove to break away and run back.

“What is that?” asked Wulf, who had never heard its like.

“Lions,” answered Masouda.  “We draw near the country where there are many of them, and therefore shall do well to halt presently, since it is best to pass through that land in daylight.”

So when they came to the cave, having heard no more of the lion, or lions, they unsaddled there, purposing to put the horses into it, where they would be safe from the attack of any such ravening beast.  But when they tried to do this, Smoke and Flame spread out their nostrils, and setting their feet firm before them, refused to enter the place, about which there was an evil smell.

“Perhaps jackals have been here,” said Masouda.  “Let us tether them all in the open.”

This then they did, building a fire in front of them with dry wood that lay about in plenty, for here grew sombre cedar trees.  The brethren sat by this fire; but, the night being hot, Masouda laid herself down about fifteen paces away under a cedar tree, which grew almost in front of the mouth of the cave, and slept, being tired with long riding.  Wulf slept also, since Godwin had agreed to keep watch for the first part of the night.