Indeed, the aspect of it thrilled me, I knew not why.

I observed, however, that at one point in the mighty cliff there seemed to be a narrow cleft down which, no doubt, lava had flowed in a remote age, and it occurred to me that up this cleft ran a roadway, probably a continuation of that by which we had threaded the swamp.

The fact that through my glasses I could see herds of cattle grazing on the slopes of the mountain went to confirm this view, since cattle imply owners and herdsmen, and search as I would, I could find no native villages on the slopes.

The inference seemed to be that those owners dwelt beyond or within the mountain.
All of these things I saw and pointed out to Robertson in the light of the setting sun.
Meanwhile Umslopogaas had been engaged in selecting the spot where we were to camp for the night.

Some soldierlike instinct, or perchance some prescience of danger, caused him to choose a place particularly suitable to defence.