I'll lie down and have a nap, and then you will have a nap and I'll watch--that's the way.' 'Luckily I don't want to sleep,' answered Lukashka.
The night was dark, warm, and still.

Only on one side of the sky the stars were shining, the other and greater part was overcast by one huge cloud stretching from the mountaintops.

The black cloud, blending in the absence of any wind with the mountains, moved slowly onwards, its curved edges sharply denned against the deep starry sky.

Only in front of him could the Cossack discern the Terek and the distance beyond.
Behind and on both sides he was surrounded by a wall of reeds.
Occasionally the reeds would sway and rustle against one another apparently without cause.

Seen from down below, against the clear part of the sky, their waving tufts looked like the feathery branches of trees.